InuTaisho
by Becca-Loves-Yuge
Summary: Sequel to SSoD.It's been 200 years since InuYasha's disappearence.However,when a new girl comes out of another magical well&a new jewel is shattered,InuYasha returns & he is intent on gathering the jewel for himself.3rd Best Romance@Born For Each Other
1. The Story Thus Far, Prologue

This is a catcher up. This is the sequel to "The Sound Sound of Destiny." This is the prologue and a quick summary of SSoD. I own nothing. Yes, it is short, but I wanted to get the ball moving.

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**The Story Thus Far**

Upon returning to the Feudal Area, Kagome and InuYasha mated. Kagome became impregnated. On the night she was in labor, InuYasha, Miroku, and Sango were called away for an extermination. While they were gone, Koga attacked their village. He killed several villagers, Kaede, Kagome, and the unborn pup.

Ayame altered InuYasha to Koga's plan and he quickly returned. However, he was too late. Myoga soon came upon the scene and told InuYasha he had three days to bring Kagome and Izayio back to life before their souls were forever gone. InuYasha quickly left.

Working alongside Sesshomaru, Miroku, and his friends, InuYasha soon found himself in the middle of a brewing war between the western wolf yokai, their leader, Kiba, and the inu-yokais.

As the days to save Kagome quickly came, he was worried he would be unable to save her. However, on the third day, a young woman appeared at Sesshomaru's castle. She claimed to be InuYasha's child, Izayio. She further claimed that Kagome had had the chance to save herself, but chose to give it to her, Izayio. Blinded by his depression, InuYasha easily bought the tale.

That night, the wolves attacked. Rin was placed under a spell to kill Sesshomaru and Izayio risked her life to save Shippou from the burning castle. After saving Shippou, Izayio ran into the thick of the battle to find InuYasha. Upon finding InuYasha, she was slain by a brainwashed Kagome.

Kagome tried to kill InuYasha, but the sorceress –Marika- that had control over Kagome, Rin, and Izayio broke her spells at the last instant when she remembered her love for InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father, InuTaisho.

Severely wounded, InuYasha did not wake up until the next day. When he woke up, he learned that all of the curses had been undone. Kagome and InuYasha made love. While she was sleeping, he snuck off to fight Kiba.

When Kagome woke up, she tried to go after InuYasha, but she became sick. Miroku determined that she was pregnant again. Not listening to their words and driven mad by the prospect of raising two children alone, she chased after InuYasha.

She arrived at Kiba's tribe in time to save InuYasha and allow him to kill Kiba.

Kagome's second pregnancy was very hard. InuYasha and Miroku called upon an old friend of Miroku's, Moriko, to act as midwife to Kagome. Moriko bore a striking resemblance to Marika and Izayio –whom has an alternative personality because of the curse placed on her by Marika- reacted badly towards her.

Kagome did not survive giving birth a second time. She bore a hanyou son, InuTaisho. InuYasha stayed with his children for five years after Kagome's death. Over come with his grief, he left, occasionally checking in secretly on his children.

Izayio, though hanyou, only exhibited miko powers. Likewise, InuTaisho only exhibited hanyou powers. Izayio raised her brother alone with only help from Miroku and Sango's family and Shippou.

One hundred and fifty years passed. InuTaisho began to fall in love with the miko of the village that he and Izayio now lived in. At first, their relationship consisted of his trying to steal away the jewel she was in charge of protecting, the Shikon no Tetsu.

However, when InuTaisho finally got his hands on it, the miko, Momoko, pinned him to a sacred tree with sacred arrows. Soon after, Momoko bid her younger sister, Akira, to burn the jewel with her body. Momoko died from her injuries that seemed to be caused by InuTaisho.

Izayio witnessed her brother's death, but was unable to stop it. She was chased out of the village by the revenge thirsty villagers.

Fast forward to modern Japan, March 2008.

Fifteen year old Sakura Kobayashi finds her younger brother, Kaito, in the well house in her family's shrine yard. Kaito claims that he saw the family cat run into the well house. There is a mysterious scratching noise coming from inside the well…

**X**

**Prologue**

My name is Sakura Kobayashi. I live with my father, younger brother, and Gramma. My mother died giving birth to Kaito. I was really little and barely remember her. My father tries, but I guess it's hard juggling a family and a demanding job. Gramma, back in her day, was the keeper of the Kobayashi Shrine; my home. She tells us all of these really odd legends. They're like stuff out of fairy tales and video games. I don't even bother trying to remember them all.

I guess I live a pretty normal life. I'm in Class P in school. I have three awesome best friends. And I think the guy in Class B likes me. My favorite color is pink.

Physically, I look pretty normal, too. I have wavy brown hair that falls to my waist. I have thick bangs that cover my eyes and I have to blow on them a lot. I have light brown eyes, like melted chocolate. Even though I don't participate in sports, I'm slender.

So, why would I waist my time learning all of those dusty old legends anyway? Gramma –and even my history teacher, Higurashi-sama- insist that I learn them. Why? It's not like my life will depend on them one day.

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Short yes, I know. I just wanted to get everyone up to par. Longer chapters to come.

~Azarath101


	2. Well House

Another ball moving chapter. For those just now getting into the SSoD story line, once I lay out the fundamentals, updates are usually 2 weeks apart and chapters are about 12 pages. I was asked a question by kagomethebeautifulmiko and here I will answer it. InuYasha is still alive. Infact, he will be joining us again within a few chapters so stay tuned. I do not own "InuYasha." And if I did, The Final Act would be dubbed already and Kikyo would have died way earlier.

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Chapter 1

**Well House**

Early morning sun light streamed through the windows of the Kobayashi home. Sounds of cooking and preparing for the day drifted through the small halls. One member lay curled in her bed, holding a stuffed, white dog to her chest. She nuzzled closer to her warm pillows with a moan of pleasure. There was second of quiet and then the shrill cry of an alarm clock on her nightstand sounded through the room.

Sakura moaned again, this time in displeasure, as her hand slowly left the wrappings of her blankets to turn the offensive device off. She lay there for a moment more before slowly sitting up. She blinked against the light from her window. Then, she stretched her arms up over her head, arching her back. Upon hearing the easing cracks of bones, she relaxed and threw her covers off. Standing up with a yawn, she slipped on her pink robe and slippers. Going to her closet, she easily picked out her uniform.

After, showering and dressing, she ran a brush through her thick hair quickly before rushing back to her room. She hastily made her bed. Turning to her desk, she grabbed her pink school bag and placed a few books from her desk into it. She paused when she held the text book about ancient Japan. The cover drawing consisted of a samurai and a miko. The samurai held a fierce expression as he held a sword over his shoulder. Beside him, the miko stood calmly, hands clasped before her; the epitome of peace. Above the miko's head was an amethyst jewel and above the samurai, a pink jewel.

Sakura snorted and threw the book into her bag and closed it. Higurashi-sama taught his class as if it were story time instead of history class. He preached to them every day about dusty old legends. She would not care –because, after all, all history was boring- if she did not have to listen to Gramma's dumb stories as well.

Shuffling down the stairs, she sniffed breakfast. Glancing at her watch, she shrieked. She was late, very late. She ran down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed her lunch from the counter. Father and Gramma turned to face her.

"What's the rush?" Father asked.

"You run like a yokai out of hell." Gramma added.

Grabbing a piece of toast, she mumbled "late" before running towards the door. She stepped into her shoes and pushed the screen aside. She took a large bite before stuffing the leftovers in her lunch box and then into her backpack.

She ran out of the house. "'Bye, Dad! Gramma! I'm going to school!" She called before slamming the screen closed.

She heaved her small pink bag onto her back and briskly walked towards the staircase that would lead her down to the street below. She paused while passing the well house. The door was ajar and she heard someone inside.

She tilted her head to the side and walked closer. She gingerly pushed the ancient screen aside and peaked in. No one was supposed to be in there.

"Hello?" She called, feeling silly.

She heard shuffling inside and yelped when her brother, Kaito, appeared from the shadows. As her heart slowed, she glared at her younger brother.

"Kaito! You're not supposed to be in here!"

Kaito looked up at her with his childish brown eyes. "You really shouldn't scare people like that!" He grumbled.

Sakura let out a sigh. "Come on, Kaito. Out of the well house."

"But Sakura, Byakko came in here and now I can't find him!"

Sakura sighed. "How did the cat get in here?" She huffed as she entered the old building. She delicately walked down the old steps.

Sakura looked around with her chocolate eyes, quickly scanning the room. "Are you sure he's down here?"

"I saw him come in here!" Kaito whined.

Clawing from inside the closed well made them both turn. Kaito jumped behind her.

"There's something down there!" He yelped.

Sakura sighed. "Yes, there is. It's our _cat_." She stepped closer and stopped. Something…cold tingled up her spine. She reached out a hand and then drew it back.

_'There's something down there…'_

Sakura shrugged off her backpack and it hit the ground with a thud. Kaito held onto her arm and peaked around her. Sakura carefully walked towards the well and as she did, the sound became louder until it was a banging and not scratching. She reached out her hand and placed it on the wood seal.

"Byakko?" Her voice wavered.

The pounded stopped. Kaito sighed in relief behind her. Sakura too began to relax. Kaito stepped away from his sister.

"Maybe I was wr-" Kaito was cut off by a large black and white cat jumping on top of the closed well, meowing loudly.

The siblings shrieked and Sakura reached for her little brother, holding him to her. The cat meowed again and then sat down, watching them. As the shock slowly faded away, Sakura looked down. Frowning, she pushed Kaito away. Kaito frowned too.

"Geez, Sis, you shouldn't scare people like that."

Sakura's brown eyes narrowed. "You're the screamer." She mumbled as she reached out for their cat. She picked the cat up and held it to her chest, cooing to it.

She looked up at Kaito. He was staring behind her with wide eyes. Sakura raised a slender brow, a question forming on her lips. As she opened her mouth, something behind her exploded. Wood debris flew around her and she screamed. Byakko scratched at her and jumped from her arms, hissing. Kaito screamed too and fell back onto his hams.

Blue light flooded the well house and Sakura felt cold arms wrap around her body. Another scream ripped through her lips as she was pulled back and down. Blue light surrounded her and she was falling.

**X**

A moth just kidnapped Sakura. That was the only thought that ran threw Kaito's head as he sat there holding Byakko. Her screams and the blue light had faded away. How would he explain that to Father or Gramma? He jumped up, stilling hold Byakko, and peered over the well. Sakura and the moth were not there; just dried up dirt.

Gulping, Kaito dropped Byakko who ran up the stairs and outside. Kaito turned and followed him. Outside he dropped to his knees, terrified. The front screen slide open and Father began to walk out.

Kaito started screaming. "Papa! Sakura! Moth! Gone!" He could not make a coherent sentence.

His father looked at him. He then raced to his son and kneeled before him, holding his shoulders.

"Kaito, what's wrong? You should be at school," He paused and searched with his eyes. "Where's Sakura?" His father looked him straight in the eyes.

Kaito felt the blood drain from his face. "Something dragged her down the well."

**X**

Sakura felt herself being turned around. She screamed again as she saw the brown, fuzzy, humanoid moth staring at her harshly. Its large eyes darting across her body and she feared it would rape and kill her. She began squirming and kicking in its arms. Its hold tightened until she cried out in pain.

"You woke me up. You have it. Give it to me!" It croaked out.

Sakura stilled slightly. "I don't have anything!" She shouted. She placed her hand against its fuzzy chest to push it away from her. Instead of pushing, a bright white light encased her hand and shot out against its chest.

The moth cried out in pain and released her. Sakura fell and then dropped roughly onto her back, the air whooshing from her lungs. Dust, dirt, and something she figured were bones unsettled and rose into the air before landing around her. As the smoke cleared, she coughed and sat up. She looked towards the top of the well.

"Kaito! Get Papa!" She called up.

She heard silence. "Chicken," she mumbled under her breath. She figured he had run away.

Spotting some vines on the sides of the walls, she grabbed them and began to haul herself up. Huffing, she reached up her hand and grasped the edge of the lip of the well and heaved herself out. She pulled herself carefully onto the lip and sat down, looking around.

The well house was gone. Around her, a meadow with short grass and a few wild flowers stretched before her. A border of thick tree encircled it.

"Kaito?" She called. "Papa? Gramma?" Fear began to well in her heart. Was she dead? Her eyes widened.

She stepped down onto the soft grass. A tall tree off in the distance caught her eyes. It was the Sacred Tree. Her family's shrine held one of the last remaining Sacred Trees. She ran towards.

She paid no attention to the scraps the underbrush caused her legs or the pulls and tears on her uniform by the branches. As the tree grew into seeing distance she slowed. Slumped against the tree with roots and vines holding it to the tree, was a boy. She slowly walked towards the tree. Awkwardly climbing up the roots, she scrambled to him.

He was unlike any boy she had ever scene. He had luscious white hair that grew longer than hers. His bangs were thick and covered his closed eyes. Purple streaks jutted out across his cheeks. His clothing looked like something out of her history book and was a scarlet color. The oddest thing about this boy, though, were the cute little dog ears on his head.

_'I want to touch them…' _She blushed as she reached her hands up to stroke the appendages. She then lowered her hands to his shoulders. Her blush grew.

It was dark in the thick and she was touching this strange boy. She must have been losing her mind, she figured. This was always how those stories on the news always started…

Breaking the stillness of the thicket, an arrow whizzed through the air and just narrowly missed striking her or the boy by mere inches. She gasped and lurched closer to the boy, pressing herself against him and hiding her face in his chest.

She heard shouts behind her and fear flooded her body. She heard and felt the boy draw in a breath of air. She glanced up and froze. Golden eyes, golder than the sun, bore into her own eyes. Passion burned within them and she had a sudden urge to press her lips against his. However, it was not love that fueled that passion; it was hate. She felt her grow cold against him. She felt like a mouse caught in the eyes of a cobra.

"Momoko." He snarled.

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My, doesn't this sound familiar? Review.

~Azarath101


	3. InuTaisho

While doing some research for this fic, I came across a very weird coincidence. Originally, Sakura was going to be named Saki (meaning rare blossoming), but I decided on Sakura and have played with the idea of her nickname being Saki. (I just love nicknames for some reason in this series.) Anyway, as I was researching sacred trees, the tree I came across first was the Sakaki tree. I was like, no way. **Sak**ura. **Sak**i. **Sak**aki. Sak**aki**. S**aki.** Maybe I'm just a loser with no life, but I tripped out over that.

Furthermore, a lot of people have added Scars to their alert list. I don't know why, but Scars has ended. HOWEVER, I will add ONE more chapter to it because there seems to be a demand for one. For those who fit that catagory, stay tuned.

And of course, I don't own InuYasha. By now, you should know who I own and who I don't.

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**Chapter 2**

**InuTaisho**

"Momoko?" Sakura questioned.

The boy snarled again. "What did you do with your hair? Decided it revealed your black soul to much?"

Sakura's eyes flickered to her bangs. They were just plain dark brown. Her eyes flickered back to the boy.

"Why do you look so confused, Momoko?" He looked over her shoulder and chuckled darkly. "What did you do to the villagers? They look mighty sore."

Sakura risked a glance behind her. A group of men stood, weapons at the ready, at the other end of the thicket. An older woman atop a brown horse bore into her frightened eyes. She wore traditional miko robes.

"Where am I?" She blurted out. She turned back to the boy as he chuckled again.

"Momoko, what is wrong with you? You behave like a village idiot."

Sakura's eyes flashed as anger overpowered her confusion. "My name's not Momoko! It's Sakura!"

The boy's golden eyes blinked in confusion. It quickly melted away and his eyes narrowed. "You have to be! There is no way you could smell…like flowers?" He questioned. He sniffed delicately and frowned. "You're not her…"

Sakura huffed. "I told you. My name is Sakura."

The boy looked intently into her eyes, searching. "Why do you look like her? If only your hair was a shade darker…"

Sakura tilted her head to the side. She opened her mouth to speak when she felt something pull her from behind. She screamed and reached for the boy, who limply lay against the tree where the vines and arrow held him. Arrow? Sakura's fear vanished for a moment as she registered the arrow sticking out from his chest. That should be a fatal wound…

Sakura yelped as she was thrown to the ground roughly. She lay dazed before looking up into the rough faces of the men who threw her down.

"'Tis one of them kitsunes." One man muttered.

"Look at her kimono. I would never allow my little Chou to leave the hut in _that_." Another grumbled.

Sakura's eyes widened as one held a spear to her throat, pressing it into her soft skin. The others followed suit and pointed their own weapons at her. She was paralyzed.

"Stop!" A strong voice yelled throughout the clearing. The men looked up and removed their weapons. Sakura jerkily crawled into a ball and stroked her tender throat. Through her bangs, she saw the crowd part and the old miko wade through.

She was short and heavy built with long white hair tied loosely back in a ponytail. She had a slight limp and a scar ran the length of her face on the left side, making her once brown left eye a hazy, milky color. A quiver of arrows hung from her back and she held a bow in the right hand tightly. She jerked the bow at Sakura and pointed with it at her. Sakura shrank back.

"Who are ye? Ye come to free InuTaisho?" She demanded in a harsh voice.

Sakura peeked over her shoulder at the boy. He was quietly watching her. "Inu…Taisho?" The name sounded familiar. From one of those dusty old legends, maybe?

Sakura was jerked back around by the miko who now was kneeled before her. She grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face to the side. "You did a well job, kitsune. Got the hair wrong; too light." She grumbled.

Sakura wrenched her face away. "I am not a kitsune. I'm not an animal. I'm not Momoko –whoever she is. I am Kobayashi Sakura." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

The old miko's eyes flashed up at InuTaisho. "How did you wake up InuTaisho then, young Sakura-chan. That spell was meant to last forever." Her aged eyes flickered back to Sakura.

Sakura shrugged. "I don-"

A shout rang out through the thicket. The group quickly turned around and gasps and shouts filled the thicket. The moth yokai from the well had returned and now held one of the village men in his hands. The man was struggling to escape, but it seemed to not even go noticed by the yokai.

"Bobu!" Called one of the men standing over Sakura.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. The group was focusing on the yokai. She could escape. Flipping over on her hands and knees she started crawling away from the group. She heard something tear sickenly and Bobu gurglingly scream. She shuddered. Once she cleared the group, she jumped up and started running.

"The girl is getting away!"

"Forget her! The yokai must be exterminated!"

"Leaving so soon, wench?"

The last voice made her stop. She slid to a stop and looked up at the tree. InuTaisho was watching her intently. Sakura frowned and opened her mouth to retort when more screams sounded. She whipped around and saw that two more of the villagers had been killed by the yokai. Adrenaline coursed through her veins.

The men, who had charged the yokai, now cowered back behind the miko. The miko held her bow at the ready, her aged hands not shaking as she aimed. She fired and the glowing arrow was easily dodged by the yokai. He pointed a clawed, furry finger at Sakura.

"Give me the jewel, girl." It hissed out in its raspy voice.

The group turned to stare at her. InuTaisho struggled against his bonds. The miko pushed towards her.

"What jewel do ye have?" She demanded.

Sakura shrank into herself. "I…I don't have any jewel."

The moth yokai roared. The men jumped out of the way –one grabbing the aged miko- as it stormed towards Sakura.

"You woke me up! You restored me! You have the Shikon no Tetsu! I can feel its power!" It thundered. Sakura stepped back and tripped on a root, landing at InuTaisho's feet.

"I don't have the Shikon no Tetsu!" Sakura cried; glad that at least some of Higurashi-sama's lectures actually paid off.

The miko pushed the trembling men aside and stared hard at Sakura. The moth raised one of its arms and brought it down hard on Sakura's side. Sakura screamed out as she felt its claws dig into her flesh and rip something out of her. Blood squirted from her side as the yokai brought his hand to his face, lustingly staring at the blood covered amethyst jewel it held between its fingers.

"Miko-sama! The Shikon no Tetsu came from that girl's body!" Someone cried out.

Sakura's vision became blurry as white hot pain filled her. She slumped back against InuTaisho's legs.

'_I…I can't…die…like this…'_

InuTaisho struggled harder now that the jewel had appeared. The yokai made to swallow the jewel and InuTaisho shouted, "No! It's mine!"

The moth chuckled and shoved the jewel in its mouth and swallowed hard. InuTaisho cried out in rage. The gathered village people cried out in surprise. The moth's flesh seemed to shed away as he grew bigger and his looks turned darker and meaner. Sakura's consciousness began to waver in and out. A sharp knock to her back by InuTaisho's knees allowed her to jolt awake. She weakly looked up, her eyes half-lidded.

InuTaisho spoke softly to her. "Girl, can you remove this arrow?"

Sakura's eyes swam before resting on the arrow in his chest. She nodded meekly. She pulled herself up using InuTaisho's red robes. She leaned heavily against him and grasped the arrow. It tingled in her weak grasp.

"No! Child! Ye must not remove the arrow!" Sakura turned and saw the miko watching her frantically.

InuTaisho growled. "Do you want to be eaten by that moth?"

The groups' eyes all flickered to the transforming moth. The silence that followed was their answer. Sakura turned back to InuTaisho, staring into his eyes. He met her eyes fervently.

"What about you, girl? Do you want to die here with me?" He whispered; his eyes were hypnotic.

"No…I want to go home…" Sakura answered, equally quiet. Tugging on the arrow, she cried out, "Live again, InuTaisho!"

The arrow glowed and dispersed. InuTaisho pushed her back onto the ground and jumped into the air, laughing freely. Sakura landed on her back on the ground and watched everything unfold up side down.

The moth's transformation was complete. It was at least eight feet tall and bigger than any wrestler. InuTaisho's claws glowed red as he slashed at the moth. With a scream, it broke apart.

'_He's so…powerful.' _Sakura thought. InuTaisho twirled back around and searched with his eyes through the moth debris. The miko walked towards Sakura. Sakura rolled onto her stomach and sat up with help from the miko.

"Child, can you see the jewel?" The miko whispered.

Sakura raised her eyebrow at the miko. "See the jewel?"

"You must look upon the remains of the moth and find the glowing flesh. If you do not remove the jewel, the moth will regenerate itself."

Sakura's breathing stop. She turned to the debris. Some of them began to move together…starting with the glowing piece in the middle. Sakura crawled towards it. She winced as she reluctantly reached for it. Frowning, she plucked the jewel from the bloody flesh. She held it up to her face to examine it. She placed her other hand on her throbbing side.

"Why would such a thing be created if it would cause so much trouble?" Sakura muttered to herself.

A shadow fell over her. She looked up into the harsh golden eyes of InuTaisho. He cracked his raised fingers fiercely; his claws shining in the dull light of the thicket.

"That's why humans shouldn't have it. So, just give it to me, girl." He purred nastily.

Sakura shrank back. Was he one of the bad guys? She clutched the jewel to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding. Had she released a monster? InuTaisho frowned.

"Do you think I am too kind, wench? Let me simplify. Give me the jewel or feel the caress of my claws."

Sakura shrank further herself; her eyes wide as she stared up at him. Something told her to not give it to him. A small prickle of courage welled in her heart. She set her lips and shook her head. InuTaisho snarled.

InuTaisho raised his hand higher. Sakura turned to the side and protected the jewel with her body. Her eyes clenched tightly close. She would rather die than give him the jewel. She waited for the attack, but instead she heard the miko cry out: "Run, child!"

Something in Sakura pulled her to her feet and she narrowly missed being killed by InuTaisho. She jumped back, turned, and ran. Gramma's words from earlier ran through her head. She could almost laugh at the irony. Now, she ran like a human from a yokai. Perhaps InuTaisho –the yokai- ran from some personal hell. She heard him close behind her, but she pushed herself harder.

She didn't see the small cliff before her and ran over it, falling the five or so feet to the ground below. She cried out in pain and her side bled more. When she blinked open her eyes, InuTaisho stood before her. Sakura gasped and backed up against the raised earth. She was trapped.

She heard someone running and muttering. Then, glowing black and white beads surrounded InuTaisho's throat to form a necklace of black beads and white bones. He barely glanced at them as he stepped closer to her.

"Sakura! Utter a subduing spell! Quickly!" The miko called.

"Subduing spell? I don't know any spells!" Sakura cried back.

InuTaisho paused and laughed. "You subdue me?"

"Any word, child! Just pick one!" The miko shouted.

Sakura raked through her brain for a word. She thought back to this morning when she had been at home. She wished she could have stayed there. She then thought back to when she first saw InuTaisho; to his passionate golden eyes. She also wished they could have stay together like that for eternity. She wished InuTaisho had stayed a good guy. She wished she had stay in bed this morning.

"Uh…Stay!" She screamed.

InuTaisho's eyes widened as he was thrown to the ground. Sakura jumped a little. The miko slid down the cliff next to her. She helped Sakura stand.

"Anytime you say the word 'stay,' InuTaisho will be subdued." The miko informed her.

Sakura nodded numbly. The miko pulled Sakura's once white shirt up to examine the wound. Sakura trembled. She didn't hear the miko telling her she needed to come with them to the village. She only saw InuTaisho raise his head and stare directly into her eyes. The hatred brewing there was her limit. She eyes slipped closed and she dropped to the ground.

**X**

InuTaisho sat in the corner of the small hut that belonged to the old miko. She had practically forced him to carry the brat here and now forced him to baby sit. He grumbled to himself. She was sleeping on a futon. The miko had removed the girl's weird gi and now she only wore her tiny green hakama, white tabi, and some sort of pink cloth around her breasts.

InuTaisho scoffed. Momoko would have never dressed so scandalously. Even when she bathed, she wore a long white kimono. He blushed as he remembered her catching him while he was "protecting" her one time. She did not raise her voice or hand. She merely frowned and that had been enough to make him apologize –something he rarely did.

His eyes darted back to the girl. How could she look so much like Momoko? Everything –except her lighter hair- was an exact match. They could be sisters. He frowned as he tried to remember what Momoko's sister looked like. She had been maybe seven the last time he had seen her. _If _this was Akira, then, how long had he been under Momoko's spell?

But, it couldn't be Akira. She had made a big deal about how her name was Sakura. What was this girl? He crawled closer to her. He hovered over her and looked onto her face.

She was beautiful, he had to admit. Her lips were bow shaped and looked so soft. Her long lashes brushed her high cheek bones. He carefully reached his hand up to brush away her unruly bangs.

His mother had been a human. His aunt had been a human at one time. He knew his family had a curse of chasing human woman. He had had his own experience with Momoko. He would refuse to let this silly mortal girl be his undoing. Grandfather and Father had both been undone by human girls. His lip pulled back at the thought of his father.

_'Where is that damned bastard?'_ He wondered. Another person's face filled his mind as his father's hazy one left. Izayio. Where had she been while he was dead?

Below him, Sakura's eyes slowly blinked open. She felt InuTaisho on her bare flesh and then saw him hovering over her. He seemed to be looking at her, but his thoughts were turned inward. Sakura screamed and lift up with her knee. InuTaisho gasped and rolled off of her. Sakura sat up and looked down at her shirtless body. She screamed louder and reached for a nearby coverlet, wrapping it around her body. InuTaisho narrowed his eyes up at her from his place on the ground.

"Stay! Stay! Stay! Stay!" She screamed.

InuTaisho yelled as he was continuously thrown onto the ground. Luckily, not the entire hut had wooden flooring and he only broke the earth.

The door flap was rudely pushed aside as the miko darted in. She saw the scene before her and chuckled.

"Ye have an odd way of thanking InuTaisho, Sakura." She chuckled.

She entered the hut and held out a bundle of folded red and white cloth. Sakura cautiously reached for it, conscious of her shirtlessness. She peaked over at the slowly recovering InuTaisho.

"Thanking?" She asked.

The miko nodded. "InuTaisho –ungraciously- brought ye here and stayed with ye while I was gathering supplies for ye."

Sakura blushed and looked down at the clothes she held in her lap. "Thank you." She whispered. Maybe he was a good guy after all. "I…I'm sorry."

InuTaisho snarled at her and jumped up. He exited the hut. The miko chuckled. Sakura frowned and continued looking down.

"I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. I just woke up and he was…on top of me and I was shirtless…"

The miko kneeled next to her. "'Tis fine. More importantly, 'tis a good thing we got ye here when we did. Ye wounds were rather terrible and ye lost a lot of blood. Fear not, ye are all bandaged up."

The miko reached inside her robe sleeve and pulled out a necklace. She placed it over Sakura's head and it fell to around her throat. Sakura eyed it. It was the jewel attached to a strand of wire.

"Ye are now the protector of the Shikon no Tetsu; the Jewel of Peace. It was gone from this world for fifty years after the death of my dear sister Momoko. Now, it has reappeared again. Ye must protect it from the men and monsters who will certainty seek its powers." The miko explained.

Sakura held it in her slender fingers. "Why me?" She mumbled.

The miko drew in a deep breath. "Ye may be the reincarnation of my sister Momoko."

Sakura shook her head. "I…I'm not a reincarnation. I can't protect this jewel. You have the wrong girl." Sakura looked up at the miko.

The miko's eyes were far away. "Ye could be Momoko's double." She whispered.

Sakura frowned and looked down. "Who's Momoko?"

The miko sighed and sat back against the wall. "Momoko was the protector and miko of this village some fifty years ago. She was asked by the Daimyo Hojo to create the jewel from the souls of the yokai who controlled the Odawara Castle. Momoko did so only to protect the humans who were slaves to the yokai. 'Tis why it 'tis called the Jewel of Peace. Momoko did anything she could to bring peace to humankind.

"When word of how powerful the jewel was spread, yokai and men tried to take the jewel away. Daimyo Hojo protected Momoko because he was the one who had forced her to create the jewel in the first place. Hojo began to fall in love with my sister. He forced her to stay at the place. 'Tis when InuTaisho came along and 'tis where I will leave that story off. I will not sully Momoko's name. I will only say she escaped and returned to the village.

"InuTaisho tried to steal the jewel, however, 'tis was sport. Though," The miko paused and frowned. "One night it became more than sport. InuTaisho killed Momoko and in turn, she sealed him to the tree. The jewel was burned with her body." She looked up at Sakura. "Now, 'tis returned to this world and InuTaisho has been freed."

Sakura blinked her wet eyes. "It sounds like a fairy tale almost. This can't be real. There is no such thing as yokai or magical jewels." She was scared. She wanted to go home. "I'm not in Tokyo anymore, am I?"

The miko tilted her head to the side. "Tokyo? 'Tis your home?"

Sakura nodded weakly.

"Never heard of it." The miko muttered. "Tell me, Sakura, how did you get here?" She spoke louder.

"I…" Sakura blushed. "I came out of the well in the clearing."

The miko gasped and jumped up. She hobbled to the door. She pulled aside the flap and searched around. "InuTaisho!" She called.

Sakura stood and quickly slipped her skirt off and slipped on the clothes that matched the miko's; traditional miko robes. She finished tying the obi as InuTaisho quietly slid in.

The miko looked up at him. "InuTaisho, do ye have any clue as to where ye sister Izayio could be?"

Sakura's head jerked up. She knew the name Izayio. Higurashi-sama and other history teachers stressed about the princess who had fallen from grace by become pregnant with a man of an enemy clan. Though, Higurashi-sama had used another word to describe the man: yokai. The yokai InuTaisho. Sakura gasped. The others turned to stare at her. Sakura pointed a finger at InuTaisho.

"You…you're the yokai that knocked up that princess." She stammered.

The raised their brows. "Knocked up? What the hell does that mean?" InuTaisho huffed.

"You…got that princess pregnant. There was a huge fire, many deaths, and…" Sakura paused as her eyes widened. "You should be dead!" She winced and frowned in disgust. "Ew, you knocked up your sister."

The miko pursed her lips. "I believe ye are thinking of InuTaisho's grandparents; InuTaisho-sama and Izayio-sama. His parents, or rather his mother, named him and his sister after them."

InuTaisho growled and stamped his foot. "How do you know me, hag? You act awfully familiar."

The miko blinked her eyes at him. "Then, ye honestly don't remember the younger sister of the woman who enchanted you. Akira."

InuTaisho was taken aback. "If you're Momoko's sister, then Momoko must be more withered than you. You mortals bore me."

Akira smiled sadly. "Momoko is dead. Slain the day she trapped you."

Something flashed in InuTaisho's eyes. Sakura suddenly felt sorry for him. She stepped closer to him, wanting to comfort him. She stopped when she saw the hatred in his eyes.

"Good to finally hear some good news."

Sakura gasped. How could he be so cruel? From the story Akira had told her, she thought he had loved Momoko or at least Akira made it sound that way. Akira shook her head and looked at her.

"I would not start getting excited. There is always the idea of reincarnation. Wouldn't ye agree, Sakura?"

InuTaisho's head whipped towards Sakura. "That twit is not Momoko." He growled.

Sakura shrank back from him. InuTaisho turned away from her and looked back at Akira.

"To answer your question, I don't know where Izayio is. I haven't seen her since the day Momoko killed me."

Akira pursed her lips. "Perhaps she is with Sesshomaru?"

InuTaisho shrugged. "I'll find her eventually." He tried to close the topic.

Akira shook her head. "'Tis in our best interests to find her. After all, there are parts of ye past that only she knows. We need to find her. Her or InuYasha."

InuTaisho stiffened. "We don't need InuYasha." He growled.

Sakura's brows knitted together. "Who's InuYasha? Why do we need him?"

InuTaisho growled again. "We do _not _need him."

Akira's eyes rested on Sakura. "On the contrary, InuTaisho, if we don't find him, he will find us."

A shiver ran up Sakura's spine.

InuTaisho scoffed. "I know enough about my past. Izayio only knows small little details."

Akira frowned. "Well, then ye should recite the fairy tale InuYasha and Izayio told you."

He rolled his eyes. "Why? It was just a stupid bed time story InuYasha made up to break it to me that Mother was dead. So, what?"

Akira gently placed a hand on his elbow. "InuTaisho, Sakura came out of the well in the clearing." She told him softly.

InuTaisho's eyes widened as he turned to look at Sakura. "The Bone Eater's Well?"

"No, the well in the clearing here; the Sakaki Well." Akira answered.

Sakura crossed her arms. "What is the Bone Eater's Well?"

InuTaisho numbly looked at her. "The well my mother came out of."

Sakura was puzzled. "You mean, another girl came out a well the way I did?"

Akira nodded her head. "This is why we need InuYasha. The miko Kagome came out of a well and freed the hanyou InuYasha. She was the reincarnation of a former miko and also held a powerful jewel inside her." Akira turned to InuTaisho. "Does that not remind you of anything?"

InuTaisho growled. "InuYasha was weak. I will not allow some weak mortal girl to be the end of me the way he did." He turned to leave.

Sakura looked down. "I want to go home." She mumbled softly.

InuTaisho turned and snarled at her. "Fine. Give me the jewel and leave. I don't want you here." He snapped.

Sakura gasped and bit her lip to hold back her tears. She didn't know why, but she wanted to stay in this world too. With InuTaisho.

* * *

Review.

~Azarath101


	4. Shattered

This was supposed to be updated on 3-23-2011, but none of my InuYasha fics would allow me to make any updates. I was asked another question by kagomethebeautifulmiko. It will be answered in this very chapter. Also, a quick AN, the name of the village will be Chiyoda. And Kaede's village will just be called Tokyo now. I'm not sure when they were offically named, but if I didn't make some sort of division, everyone will get confused. And of course, I do not own "InuYasha."

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**Chapter 3**

**Shattered**

A man that appeared to by in his late twenties, early thirties walked the shore of a lonely dark beach. The gentle waves brushed against the wet sand and he continued to walk through it. His long white hair gently whipped out behind him in the cool ocean breeze. His faded crimson robes also billowed about him. His pale face was gaunt and his once magnificent yellow eyes were dull.

An old katana rested at his side. It began to gently vibrate. He placed his hand over the hilt.

"What is it Tetsusaiga?" He quietly asked of the sword.

Its rattling calmed. He paused and his eyes traveled across the ocean. It had been about twenty years since he had seen Izayio. He wondered if InuTaisho was still pinned to the tree. He lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. If he had never left…if he had been stronger….if he had listened to Miroku and Kagome…

InuYasha's eyes closed tightly as Kagome's face filled his mind. It had been over two hundred and five years since she had died. To him, it still felt like it had happened yesterday.

His ears twitched and his eyes opened when he heard the soft footsteps of another person on the beach. He turned and a kitsune child raced towards him.

"InuYasha!" He called waving his arm.

"Shippou." InuYasha stated.

Shippou had grown over the years. He was now about the size of seven year old human child. He had reached his full growth. Instead of the childish puff of a tail, a long kitsune tail trailed from his waist. His clothing was about the same as it had been all those years ago, only now tailored to fit his new size. His auburn hair was longer and still tied back with a blue bow. The kitsune stopped before him, panting.

"InuYasha, you will never believe what has happened!" Shippou's face was split by a smile.

InuYasha blinked, unconcerned. Shippou's face fell. A small yokai flea appeared on Shippou's shoulder. InuYasha snorted.

"Well, if it isn't Myoga." He scoffed.

Myoga frowned and crossed his arms. "InuYasha-sama, is that any way to greet old friends?"

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "I believe I'm too old to be scolded like a child."

Shippou crossed his arms. "Apparently you can't teach an old dog new tricks." He grumbled.

InuYasha's brow twitched. "You better watch it, runt. I have four hundred years on you."

Myoga jumped up and down angrily. "Stop fighting!"

They turned their attention to the small yokai. He sat down on Shippou's shoulder.

"InuYasha, it is time you returned to Chiyoda." Myoga humbly began.

InuYasha turned away from them and faced the rolling waves of the ocean. "Why? Last I heard from Izayio, InuTaisho was still dead."

Shippou watched InuYasha's back. "Twenty years ago, that was true."

InuYasha whipped back around. "What?" He asked startled.

Myoga nodded solemnly. "InuTaisho has been freed."

InuYasha crossed his arms. "By who? Momoko is dead."

Shippou kicked at a small seashell. "Supposedly, a girl came out of the Sakaki Well and was able to pull the arrow out."

InuYasha's arms dropped. He swallowed hard. "A girl…came out of a well…and freed InuTaisho?" He confirmed.

Myoga nodded. "Furthermore, the Shikon no Tetsu was pulled out of her body."

InuYasha turned on his heel and took off running down the beach, ignoring the shouts behind him.

**X**

The small village of Chiyoda had fallen asleep for the night. Sakura lay on the futon from earlier and now she looked out the window at the quarter moon. Akira was asleep on the futon beside her.

_'Will I ever get home again?' _Sakura wondered gloomily.

She snuggled deeper into the futon and closed her eyes. She didn't hear the small raven that landed on the window or the small pebble that hit the seal next to it. The raven cried out and fluttered away and Sakura merely turned over. On a tree branch near the hut, InuTaisho sat crouched, ready to flick another stone at the retreating bird.

"There's the first of 'em." He grumbled.

He tossed the stone down and leaned back against the tree, preparing for a long night of observation. He would not sleep; Kami knew he had slept enough.

As midnight approached, InuTaisho jerked forward, alert. He leaped from the tree and landed quietly on the balls of his feet. His ears and eyes darted around as he sniffed the air. Across the village, at the line of trees that made up the forest, a figure emerged. A grin spread across his face as he darted towards it.

The figure stepped into the scant moon light and returned his grin. Her long black hair waved to her thighs and was loose of it traditional hair ribbon. She still wore the miko robes that were common to her along with the bow and quiver of arrows slung on her back. A copper band glinted on her finger in the slight light. Her black dog ears, similar to InuTaisho's own white ones, flicked in the light.

InuTaisho's grin grew. "Izayio." He stated.

Izayio crossed her arms. "Hello, Baby Brother. I heard you were free and I came to see for myself. Seems the rumor is true." She smiled.

InuTaisho snorted. "Knew you would turn up sooner or later. Akira seems hell bent to speak with you."

Izayio nodded. "I know. Another rumor has it that you were freed by a girl who held in her procession the Shikon no Tetsu. Is this true?"

InuTaisho looked down at his bare feet and kicked a rock. "Yeah. Akira also claims that she is the reincarnation of Momoko. I don't believe her."

Izayio snarled. "Momoko is dead. We can only pray to Kami that if the girl is the reincarnation of Momoko, she left her evil in her former life."

InuTaisho nodded absentmindedly. Sakura was very different from Momoko. Perhaps she _did _leave her 'evil' in her former life. Izayio stepped closer to her brother.

"InuTaisho, I know you loved Momoko, but…" Izayio looked down. "I just don't know the words to express my sorrow for you. If Father had only warned you to not-"

InuTaisho pushed her away. Izayio stumbled back. "InuYasha will never be my father. I have no parents."

Izayio's eyes flashed. "I can understand you hating Mother, but not Father. Mother is the one responsible for all of this."

InuTaisho growled. "Mother is not responsible! InuYasha is the one who was too weak to continue with his life after the passing of her."

Izayio opened her mouth to speak again and stopped. She looked behind InuTaisho who turned around to see Sakura standing behind them. Her eyes were wide and her hair was loose from her own hair ribbon.

Izayio growled. "Is this the girl?"

InuTaisho nodded. "Sakura," He began. "Why are you awake?" He demanded.

Sakura looked down. "I heard shouting and I was worried you were in trouble or something."

InuTaisho snorted. "What could you do, girl? You are a weak mortal."

Sakura flushed and looked down, her bangs covering her eyes. Izayio stepped forward.

"I can see why Akira claims you to be Momoko."

Sakura looked up. Her eyes darted back and forth between the two. "Are you two related?"

Izayio nodded. "I am Izayio. InuTaisho's older sister. Though we may both be hanyou, I have yet to exhibit any yokai powers. I am, however, a miko."

Sakura blinked her eyes. "Hanyou? I thought InuTaisho was a yokai. What's a hanyou?"

InuTaisho stiffened. "As soon as you give me the jewel, I will be a full yokai."

Izayio sighed. "Though I have long ago over come my misery over not having any yokai powers, InuTaisho has not over come his human blood. A hanyou is a half yokai, half human."

InuTaisho growled. "Just tell the world!"

Izayio rolled her eyes. "I'm not like Uncle Sesshomaru, InuTaisho. Embrace what you are."

InuTaisho stalked away. Sakura looked back at him.

"I should probably go back to bed." She muttered.

Sakura turned and went back to the hut. Izayio followed after InuTaisho. Sakura stopped outside the hut and watched the two hanyou siblings sneak off into the forest that lead to the clearing she had come from. She sighed and moved to push aside the flap when she heard her name. She turned around, expecting to see Akira or InuTaisho. She saw no one.

"Sakura." The voice called again.

As if controlled by puppet strings, she turned and wandered towards the dirt paths that lead out of the village.

**X**

Izayio followed InuTaisho to the clearing of the Sakaki Well. InuTaisho leaned over the edge and peered down. Izayio joined him.

"I remember when you were a pup and we would all go to the Bone Eater's Well and Father would tell us the story. That was back when you still liked Father." Izayio spoke quietly.

InuTaisho chose to ignore the memory. "Can you feel anything about this well?"

Izayio sighed. "I sense a magical aura. Legend goes that this Sakaki Well is a purifying well. However, I do not sense any purification powers."

"How did she come through? Where did she even come from?" InuTaisho growled.

Izayio was puzzled. "Why are you complaining, brother? That girl freed you and I do not sense any evil or darkness in her."

InuTaisho lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. "Maybe I didn't want to wake up."

Izayio laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Why, my brother?"

InuTaisho looked up at her. "I wasn't trapped while I was under Momoko's spell. I was free."

"What do you mean?"

InuTaisho looked up at the stars. "I was free from InuYasha's shadow. I was free from my past."

Izayio growled. She forced him to look at her. "Baka! You were more InuYasha's son than ever bond to that tree! You hate Father so much and yet you paid no heed to the bed time story we told you. You want to be separated from Father? Then you should have never gone after that jewel! And now, you should protect Sakura and the jewel."

InuTaisho shrugged away from her. "That twit is on her own."

Izayio's caramel eyes narrowed. "You are such a jerk!" She chose to use a word she learned from Mother; Aya grumbled in her mind.

InuTaisho turned away from her, folding his arms. "Why did you even come here, Izayio?"

"I told you. I wanted to see if you were free." Izayio reminded him.

InuTaisho chuckled darkly. "So, how's the family?" He asked sarcastically.

Izayio rolled her eyes. "We are going to play it that way? Fine. Well, dear brother, Sesshomaru and Rin are doing fine. Takeshi is getting along in his training. I figure that Sesshomaru will step down soon."

InuTaisho's head jerked up. Izayio sensed his alertness. "What is it, brother?"

InuTaisho turned and faced the direction of the village. "Damn that wench!" He growled and took off running.

Izayio ran after him at little more than human sped. "Wait! What is wrong? InuTaisho!"

**X**

Sakura found herself outside an abandoned, old, dilapidated shrine. A small light burned inside. Sakura, still not in control of herself, walked up the shaky steps. A black raven watched her from inside. She slid open the screen and padded in. A man, dressed all in black, watched her from the corner with his black eyes. Raven feathers were weaved into his long black hair that hung to his waist from the pony tail atop his head.

The man motioned for her to sit. Sakura meekly stepped forward and kneeled before him. Her heart pounded in her chest. The man kneeled in front of her.

"Hello, Sakura. I am Reivun. I hear that you have the Shikon no Tetsu." He smirked. "Give it to me." He held out his hand.

Sakura felt her hand reach for her necklace. She felt herself yank it from her throat and hold it out to him.

"What are you?" Sakura gasped.

Reivun chuckled. "I am a raven yokai. I control the spirits of the dead."

Sakura blinked rapidly. "I'm not dead!" She cried out.

Reivun laughed. "_You _may not be. However, your soul was a reincarnation. Therefore, I can control it."

Reivun snatched the Shikon no Tetsu and stood quickly. Sakura reached her hand out for him. She tried to move, but could not. He turned to face her.

"I have no use for you now." He snapped his fingers and a swarm of ravens flocked the room from the windows and door.

Sakura screamed as they attacked her repeatedly. She curled into herself and tried to protect her face and chest the best she could. She felt her wound reopen and new ones form as the birds' beaks dug into her tender flesh. She screamed again and again.

Above the sound of the flapping wings and screams, Reivun laughed and turned away. He held the jewel up to his face and looked upon it with lust. He marched from the temple and out onto the porch.

His attention was drawn from the jewel to two figures about twenty yards from the temple. One was a young woman and the other was a young male. They were colored like the ying and yang from the mainland. They were both clearly hanyous. The woman aimed an arrow at him. The man cracked his fingers noisily.

Reivun chuckled. "Have you come to save your friend? Go ahead. If my pets have not killed her, you can have her." He flipped his feather entwined hair from his shoulder.

The male snarled. "Give me the jewel."

The woman chanced a look at her companion and turned back to Reivun, adjusting her aim. Reivun held up the Shikon no Tetsu.

"You are a half-breed, correct? You both are. Half-breeds do not deserve the pureness that is this holy jewel." Reivun pressed the jewel to his lips in a soft kiss.

The male growled. The woman lowered her bow and placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Yokai, that jewel is anything but holy. I am a miko and I can sense the evil from within it. Please return it and our companion. I fear she is the only one who can maintain its purity."

Reivun tossed his head back and laughed freely. "You? A half-breed miko? Never in my three hundred years have I heard of such. You must be damned. How can something so tainted as you are think to ever be like one of those _pure _mortals? Perhaps you have finally found your place in the world. You finally understand that you are nothing better than a pathetic human!"

Reivun pulled a feather from his black hair and it transformed into a black katana. He pointed it at them. "I have no time for you. You may die now."

The male snarled and charged. The woman re-aimed her arrow. She released it and a glowing arrow trailed behind the male. He ducked and it continued towards Reivun. The yokai used his sword to block it, but the sword was purified and in a flash of light, it dissolved. Reivun growled.

The woman placed the bow about her shoulder and ran behind him. "InuTaisho! I'm going to get Sakura!"

InuTaisho barely paid heed as he leaped for Reivun, his claws glowing yellow. Reivun easily met him and the two locked into a duel together. The woman dashed passed them and into the temple. She gasped at the black, moving mass of feathers in the middle of the room. Small trails of crimson blood traveled across the floor under them. She pulled her bow from her shoulder and notched another arrow. She fired it and the glowing projectile either purified or scared away the ravens.

Once the light, feathers, and birds cleared, she ran towards the heap of miko robes and brown hair that was left behind. She dropped her weapons with a clatter and kneeled beside what was once Sakura. Breathing rapidly, the older woman turned Sakura on her side and shook her.

"Sakura! Sakura! It's Izayio! Please, wake up! Sakura! You can't die yet!" Izayio begged.

Panic filled her caramel eyes and heart when Sakura made no reply. Sakura's hair was a matted mess. Her clothes were torn and bloody. A large scarlet stain had formed on her side. Her face was bruised with small scraps.

"Sakura! Please! I have a feeling you can help my brother! Don't die on me!" Izayio shook her once more. Tears formed in her eyes. "I sense a great power in you Sakura! I know you can free my brother! Please!"

With no response, Izayio sat back. Tears poured from her eyes. Mother had trained her to not let out her sobs and now she drew from those lessons and held fast to them. For once, in her head, Aya did not complain at the memory of Kagome.

A shout from outside made Izayio's head jerk up. Her eyes widened. InuTaisho was in danger or he was hurt. She reached for her bow when a gasp made her turn to the side. Izayio gasped again when she saw Sakura's wide chocolate eyes darting around. Sakura sat up quickly and Izayio scooted closer. Sakura turned to face her.

"InuTaisho! He's hurt!" Sakura huffed wildly.

Izayio blinked, unable to reply. Sakura's eyes flickered down to the bow in her hand and then back up to Izayio's face.

"Can I borrow that?" Sakura asked.

**X**

InuTaisho was thrown back. He cried out in pain when he hit the hard ground. He looked towards his shoulder and growled. Reivun had been able to get a peck in –literally. Reivun had transformed into his true form and had swallowed the Shikon no Tetsu. Reivun's true form was a giant raven. InuTaisho glanced up. Reivun was flapping his wings. InuTaisho's eyes widened when he realized that the yokai was preparing to fly off.

"No you don't, buzzard!" InuTaisho grumbled.

He jumped up and launched again for the yokai. The yokai shot into the air and just narrowly missed getting attacked by the hanyou. InuTaisho snarled and twisted around. Mentally he cursed his family blood again. He only had the little more than the strength of a normal hanyou as the blood had thinned by the time it got to him.

Though, at the moment, that wasn't his main concern. Reivun was flying quickly away with the jewel inside his belly. A small peep behind him made him turn. On the porch of the temple stood Sakura, holding a bow and a few arrows. Her hair was a matted mess and her clothes were torn and bloody. Her face was bruised and scratched. InuTaisho almost sighed in relief. For once, she looked _nothing _like Momoko.

InuTaisho gasped and smirked in pleasure. He faced Sakura.

"Girl, can you shoot that bow?" He asked.

**X**

Sakura screamed again and held tighter onto InuTaisho. Together, they leaped from the tree tops; Sakura clutching onto InuTaisho's back. InuTaisho barely turned to face her as Reivun drew into sight.

"Momoko was a master of the bow. Better than Izayio. Hit the yokai, girl." He yelled over the night air rushing pass them.

Sakura nodded weakly and scrambled to notch her arrow. Her courage from earlier was gone. She could only faintly remember the archery lessons Papa had forced her and Kaito to take as children. She lowered her bow and frowned. Papa…Kaito…

InuTaisho roughly nudged her. "Come on, wench!"

Pushing back her memories, she aimed. "Please hit!" She cried out, firing the weapon.

The arrow rushed towards Reivun. The couple waited with baited breath as the arrow…hit Reivun's wing! Sakura cheered excitedly. InuTaisho knocked her again as Reivun lost some altitude.

"Good, but not good enough. Hit him again!" He yelled at her.

Sakura worriedly looked down at her one remaining arrow. InuTaisho drew closer to Reivun. Sakura shakingly notched her last arrow. She breathed in and out to steady herself. She blocked out the world around her and InuTaisho's moving body. She felt herself channel into the bow. Her fingers deftly released the arrow and she heard it whiz threw the air.

InuTaisho gasped below her and she wrenched open her eyes. This arrow was glowing. It was aiming perfectly for Reivun's stomach. The arrow hit and Reivun shattered apart…and a bright white light filled the night turning it to day. Sakura's blood ran cold.

**X**

Izayio chased after the two on the ground. However, when a wave of mystic energy washed through her she slowed to a stop. She clutched her chest. She had not felt _anything _close to that in fifty years. For a brief second, she thought she was dreaming again of the night she raced towards Yokohama. The night Momoko and InuTaisho had killed each other. A cold chill rushed through her body.

No. She told herself firmly. Momoko was dead. InuTaisho, Sakura, and herself were racing to stop Reivun. She looked towards the sky. She gasped as a flash of light turned the night to day.

She covered her eyes. A shiver ran threw her body.

**X**

Akira was startled awake by a surge of mystical power. She weakly stood and hobbled towards the door flap, noting that Sakura was gone. She stepped out into the night air and gasped as light filled the night sky.

Shock overcame her as small stars shot across the night sky. No…not stars…fragments…shards of the Shikon no Tetsu.

**X**

"Down there." Sakura whispered to InuTaisho.

InuTaisho jumped down from the trees and landed on in the underbrush. Sakura dismounted and walked a few steps. She kneeled and reached into the grass. A whimper rose into her throat. InuTaisho appeared at her side.

"Is it the jewel?" He asked.

Sakura turned a held up a chunk of the jewel, less than an eighth of the original jewel.

"It…could be."

InuTaisho hissed quietly as his lips curled back into a snarl.

"You wench!" He cried out.

* * *

For the sake of this fic, the Shikon no Tetsu will not be shattered into hundreds of pieces. After all, when the ending finally gets here, y'all will be happy I didn't drag it out long enough to make another InuYasha and InuYasha: The Final Act.

~Azarath101


	5. Family Feud

So sorry for the long break. It was one of those months. Sigh. I own nothing, but my own characters.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Family Feud**

_**Previously on InuTaisho**_

_InuYasha is alerted about InuTaisho's freedom and comes racing to Yokohama. Sakura meets Izayio and learns more about InuTaisho. Sakura is kidnapped and nearly killed. InuTaisho and Sakura chase after the yokai that has stolen the Shikon no Tetsu. The jewel shatters when Sakura hits it with her magic arrow._

**X**

Sakura sat before Akira, facing away from her. Akira tenderly wrapped bandages around her waist. While doing so, she lectured Sakura on her destiny: restoring the Shikon no Tetsu. Sakura sighed. She would have to work with InuTaisho and Izayio. Izayio she could maybe work with, but InuTaisho…Sakura flushed. She felt…something…towards him. Though, after she had destroyed the precious jewel, he hated her even more now.

Akira tied the snug wrappings and turned towards the dying embers of the fire. Sakura muttered her thanks and pulled her soiled hakui back on. She then brushed her long, matted hair with her finger, pulling at the tangles. She then gathered it all in one hand atop her head and quickly wrapped her white hair ribbon around it and tied it. She kept her bangs down so she could still hide her face. She then turned to face Akira.

"Akira-sama, how can I do this? Ever since I've came here, all I've done is get in trouble. I've nearly died twice!" Sakura worried.

Akira looked up at her with her wise, aged eyes. "Tell me of ye life before ye came to this place. Where ye happy?"

Sakura looked down, contemplating. "Was I happy?" She whispered. She looked up, holding in her tears. "It always felt like everyone was preparing me for something. Like my life was just built around me becoming or doing something. Was I happy? Yes, I was. And then…" She looked down. Her hands fisted her hakama. She licked her lips and swallowed hard.

"And then, I came here. It was as if everything back home didn't really matter. So what if I missed that math test I have been stressing over? I've almost died. It…put things in order for me. Looking back, my life was a…counterfeit happiness. I could have never been truly happy there because…it wasn't my real life. My destiny.

"Coming here, I realized I was never truly happy until-" Sakura stopped short and blushed.

"Go on, child." Akira whispered.

Sakura looked up, tears in her eyes. "Until I first saw InuTaisho."

Akira nodded wisely. "Aye. It seems that 'tis really ye destiny to come to 'tis time and place. Ye should not fear ye destiny. Several more have walked the same path. Kikyo, Kagome, Momoko, and Kami knows who else."

Sakura looked down at her lap. "I'm not like Momoko. Everyone keeps telling me I am, but I'm Sakura."

"What does ye heart tell you?"

Sakura looked up. "My heart?" She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She opened her chocolate orbs. "My heart is telling me that I am Kobayashi Sakura."

Akira shook her head. "A heart does not tell a person a name. A heart tells a person an entity. Now, what does ye _heart _tell ye?"

Confusion painted Sakura's face. "That's what it's telling me."

Akira smiled. "Then ye are not listening."

The door flap was roughly pushed aside, breaking the moment. InuTaisho stormed in, Izayio at his heels. The two women turned and looked up at them. InuTaisho pointed an accusing finger at Sakura.

"You want me to help this wench fix the jewel!" He thundered.

Sakura shrank back. "I didn't mean to-"

InuTaisho's cold stare cut her off. "That wench Momoko didn't mean to pin me to a damned tree!" He screamed.

Izayio and Akira frowned. Sakura looked back at her lap. InuTaisho fumed.

"InuTaisho, I know you were raised better than to say such things." Izayio scolded.

InuTaisho whipped to look back at her. "Stop scolding me! I'm not a child! Besides, you ain't even my mother!"

Izayio snarled. "Higurashi InuTaisho. Do not speak to me in that manner. You are behaving like a village baka."

Sakura's head snapped up. "Higurashi?"

Neither hanyou paid her a glance. Akira placed a hand on her shoulder and Sakura understood her silent message.

InuTaisho growled. "Oh, yes! Throw in Mother's surname! Is that why you act like you are more than what you are? Because I remind you of her? Guess what! I'm not Mother!"

Izayio's fists clenched. "You are nothing like that tricking wench! I hate to say it, but you act just like Father when he was young! Reckless! Stupid!" She pointed at Sakura. "This girl can help you and you don't care! Stop moping around and go collect the Shikon no Tetsu!"

InuTaisho huffed again. "I'm not moping!"

Izayio barked a laugh. "That's rich! All you've done since that girl _freed _you was say 'Momoko this' or 'Momoko that' and 'Father this' or 'Father that.' That is either moping or obsessing."

InuTaisho cracked his fingers loudly. Izayio's hands flicked towards her bow that hung from her shoulder. At this, Akira stood quickly, startling Sakura. Akira made her way towards the quarreling siblings and stood between them. Izayio stepped back.

"Now listen here, ye two, ye are both needed to help Sakura. Bickering will not solve anything. Now, we have one shard. Kami knows how many more are out there. Ye three must wed ye powers together if we hope to collect them all." Akira reprimanded.

"Feh," scoffed InuTaisho. His golden eyes flickered over to Sakura.

She sat huddled into herself, staring wide eyed. He raised a brow at her pulled up hair. Strangely, he liked seeing more of her face. She looked like a scared child and her felt sorry for yelling at her. He wanted to brush her unruly bangs away, hold her face in his hands, press his lips to her- His breathing stopped. He turned sharply away from her and looked down, hiding his blush. Akira and Izayio parted for him as he made his way out of the hut.

Sakura did not notice InuTaisho's stare. She was still frightened by his outbursts and the name Higurashi floated through her mind still. Could he be related to Higurashi-sama, her teacher? In the past day and a half, she had learned so much. She was beginning to find herself, learned that more than a few of those dusty old legends were true, met new friends, almost died twice, and was beginning to feel the beginnings of…No. She blushed. InuTaisho was a jerk. So what if he was a hot jerk? A strong, hot, mysterious jerk with beautiful hair and eyes.

Her face burned. Her eyes flickered to where Akira and Izayio were quietly talking together. Sakura shakingly stood and the two miko women looked over at her. She was about to walk pass them when another woman entered the hut. Akira and Izayio greeted her.

The plain, village woman's brown eyes were filled with worry. "Akira-sama, my girl is ill."

Akira nodded and turned to Izayio, "I shall see to her. Fill Sakura in." With that, Akira followed the nondescript woman out. Izayio turned to Sakura.

"I'll have to leave you two in about a week for a personal reason. Do you think you can keep InuTaisho from doing anything too stupid?" Izayio questioned. She was both serious and joking.

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "He hates me. But, I suppose I can try because he wears those beads."

Izayio nodded. "Good."

Sakura attempted to walk out the flap. Izayio's arm shot out, blocking her way. Sakura looked over at her.

"Where are you going? You're injured!"

Sakura looked away. "I need some fresh air," she lied.

Izayio's arm slunk away. "Okay. But be quick. Don't get into trouble."

Sakura rushed out, feeling like a child being scolded by her mother. Fervently, she searched for the path that would take her to the Sakaki Well. She dashed through the trees, soiling and ripping more of her destroyed robes. Her breath scratched her throat as she panted and a stitch formed in her side. As the minutes stretched out, she feared she had gotten lost. Was the well this far away? Surely it was closer…

She could see a break at the end of the cover of trees. Light entered the darkness from its maw. Finding a sudden burst of speed, she leapt out and fell to her hands and knees in the meadow. She panted and tried to collect her breathing. Her side hurt and she prayed that she had not reopened the wounds…again.

As her heart and breathing calmed, she finally noticed the figure standing next to the aged, wooden well. His faded red robes were a stark contrast to the greens and browns of the meadow. His hair was long and white as snow, as were the triangular dog ears on his head. A sheathed katana rested at his side.

"InuTaisho?" She gasped.

Surely he would let her go home. She snorted. He would probably _help _her into the well. His back was still facing her and that made her mad. Sakura pushed herself into a standing position.

"Turn around, InuTaisho! Let's not be childish!" She huffed and then blushed. Where was she getting this confidence?

That's when she felt it. It was the same pure feeling she felt earlier when she came upon the shard of the Shikon no Tetsu. Her spine tingled as a warm feeling flooded her. She thought…No, she _knew _he had two shards. She could _feel _it.

InuTaisho turned and faced her; his face calm. Sakura tilted her head to the side. This man looked like InuTaisho…but he wasn't. He lacked InuTaisho's stripes, his beaded necklace was purple and white, his robes were more faded, and he seemed older. They could be brothers.

The expression in the imposter's eyes –InuTaisho's eyes- made Sakura take a step back. They were cold. As if they had seen great pain in their lives. This confused Sakura. She could feel and see the purity of the shards that were stored in his robe sleeves. So, how could something so pure, be in the possession of someone so…bitter.

The man stepped closer. She mentally cursed herself. She had left the hut without a bow or arrow. If it came to it, how could she fight him? Her eyes darted around, searching for a makeshift weapon.

At length, the man spoke to her. "Are you the one who freed InuTaisho?" His voice was gruff, yet, it was softer than InuTaisho's.

Sakura stared like a deer caught in headlights. Was it plastered to her head? Sakura crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Perhaps if she played tough, she could get away.

"What about it?" She replied, working to keep her voice steady.

The man smiled. A small light appeared in his dim gold eyes. "Thank you." He whispered.

His compassion melted Sakura pseudo toughness. She could see small wrinkles around his eyes from years of laughter and smiles. Sorrow flooded her. How could some one with laugh lines be so sad? Sakura took a step closer.

The smile and light quickly faded. In its place, a cool, almost cockiness took its place. Sakura frowned.

"Are you related to InuTaisho?" She mumbled.

The man laughed darkly. "He doesn't want to think so." He harshly answered.

Sakura blinked in confusion. When she opened her eyes, she gasped and fell back to the ground. The man stood before her. From the ground, she looked up at him and swallowed in fear.

She yelped when he squatted and sat like a dog before her, peering at her. "Can you detect Shikon shards?"

Sakura didn't know if she should lie or tell the truth. Fearfully, she stared into his amber eyes. The man frowned. From this close, Sakura could feel that this was not a _human _man. He was a yokai, but there was _some _human in him. He was like Izayio and InuTaisho. A hanyou.

The hanyou sighed and rolled his eyes upwards. "Look, girl. I'm not going to hurt you. I've come to help you find the Shikon shards."

Sakura licked her lips. Should she trust him? She cocked her head to the side. "What's your name?" She asked quietly.

His dog ears twitched as his eyes locked on her. "InuYasha." He answered simply.

Sakura thought back, biting her lip. InuYasha was the hanyou that the girl like her, Kagome, had freed. InuTaisho seemed to hate him. They looked…similar. InuTaisho seemed to hate his father. And InuYasha had said they were related. Was this InuTaisho's father?

She voiced this question. "Are you InuTaisho's father?"

InuYasha chuckled darkly. "More or less."

Sakura raised a brow. InuYasha looked down at her. "Yes, InuTaisho is my son."

**X**

Izayio looked up at the evening sun and frowned. Sakura had been gone a while. Akira was still at the village woman's house. Izayio made her way towards InuTaisho's sulking tree. She looked up at him and called for him to come down. His amber eyes flickered down to her and he grudgingly jumped down.

"What?" he barked.

Izayio rolled her eyes. "Oh calm down, Brother. I just came to see if you have seen Sakura. She's gone missing again."

InuTaisho swore. "That wench is becoming a problem.

Izayio groaned. "You could be a little more worried. After all, I sense a…familiar hanyou."

InuTaisho stiffened. "He would not come here," he growled.

Izayio nodded. "Father is nearby and Sakura is missing."

"Kuso! He's going to go after my jewel!" He yelled.

InuTaisho turned quickly and ran for the Sakaki Well Meadow, sniffing the two out. Izayio hurried back to Akira's hut for her bow and arrows before following after him.

_'Damn him! He disappears and returns to collect the jewel! What is he planning? He better not hurt Sakura for his greed.' _InuTaisho seethed.

**X**

Sakura looked up into InuYasha's amber eyes, so much like InuTaisho's. A mixture of emotions flooded through her. However, one thought kept slamming into her as she stared into the sun like eyes of the inu-hanyou: That she wanted InuTaisho with her. She was scared and she knew that if he was here and she was in his sinewy arms that she would be safe. Not that she wasn't safe with InuYasha…she was just scared of the mysterious man. Why had he come back? And why was he standing between her and her way home?

She swallowed gently and moved to go around him. InuYasha blocked her. She tensed.

"I need your help." He stated.

Sakura blinked. "I'm sorry, but…I'm leaving. I'm sure that if you went to the village, Izayio and InuTaisho could help you."

Pain flickered in InuYasha's mesmerizing eyes. "InuTaisho would never help me and Izayio lacks the ability."

Sakura took a step back. "I'm sure that if you just talked to InuTaisho…" She trailed off when she saw the look in his eyes.

InuYasha snorted and for just a minute, he seemed not much older than she was. She couldn't help but smile at his antics. When he saw her smile, he raised a brow.

"What are you smiling at, we-…girl?" He demanded.

Sakura's eyes widened. He spoke like InuTaisho also. She sighed as she felt herself give. "What do you need help with, InuYasha?"

InuYasha smirked and rummaged in his baggy sleeve. Sakura waited until he pulled out two large amethyst shards like her own. She gasped and pulled her own shard out from her own sleeve. She held it up to him; a look of wonder crossed her face.

"I was able to sense that you had shards. And you do," she breathed.

InuYasha nodded. "And I want you to help me find the others."

The moment shattered as for Sakura when he asked her that. She could not help him. Helping him would be like betraying InuTaisho. But…InuTaisho had been nothing but rude since she had freed him. On the other hand, Izayio and Akira had helped her and they needed the jewel as well. But, she had already been planning on betraying them all by leaving with her shard. Her head spun. She sank back to the ground and held her head as it throbbed.

InuYasha kneeled before her and pulled her to his chest. His presence seemed to calm her. She sighed and leaned into his embrace.

"You remind me of my mate." He whispered lowly.

Sakura opened her eyes slowly. "The miko Kagome?" She asked. She felt him nod above her. "What happened to her?" She barely heard herself, but she knew that he hear her.

He was quiet for a moment. "I killed her."

Sakura stiffened in his arms. "Why?" She could not stop herself from asking.

He breathed deeply. "I was foolish and allowed my yokai to overpower me. She was unable to heal fully before she became pregnant with InuTaisho and the pregnancy took the rest of her strength away until the labor finally killed her."

Sakura's arms wrapped around his waist. "I'm sorry. But, at least you still have your children. Kagome's children." She whispered.

InuYasha stiffened. He could hear Miroku echoing the same words two hundred years ago.

**X**

InuTaisho could smell Sakura's scent. He could also smell his father's. He sped up when he saw light entering the forest. He flew from the tree line and stopped suddenly. A snarl rose in his throat. Sakura and InuYasha were both kneeled before the Sakaki Well, holding each other.

He could hear Sakura speaking. "I'm sorry. But, at least you still have your children. Kagome's children."

His lips pulled back in a feral snarl. Sakura flinched and InuYasha's head snapped up. InuYasha stood quickly, while Sakura remained on the ground, not looking at either of them. InuTaisho barked a laugh.

"So, Father, this is how you get on people's good sides? Tell them how pitiful you are without Mother?" InuTaisho spat out.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes. "InuTaisho, I came to help you. I'm not here to get on anyone's good side."

InuTaisho stalked closer. "No, you just planned on using Sakura to find the shards. _My _shards."

InuYasha opened his mouth to retort when another person entered the tense clearing. InuYasha smiled briefly. InuTaisho merely flicked his ears and sniffed delicately, sensing his sister. Sakura remained motionless. Izayio stepped up behind InuTaisho.

"Father, it is wonderful to see you. InuTaisho is alive and well." Her tone was polite, but a slight faltering gave away her worry. Her caramel eyes flickered to her brother and then back to her father.

InuYasha directed his attention to her. "Izayio…" He trailed off and looked back down at the human at his feet. He had not planned on meeting with them. He had hoped to take Sakura away and work on finding the shards. Finding the shards would give him a mission…would distract him from Kagome and his family.

InuTaisho marched forward. InuYasha tensed, preparing to keep his son at bay if blows came to pass. InuTaisho bent at the waist, roughly grabbed Sakura by her upper arm and pulled her to him. Sakura cried out in pain and surprise. InuYasha twitched to reach for her, but held back. InuTaisho pulled Sakura against his chest and strode back to Izayio, whose face was filled with surprise.

Sakura made no noises as InuTaisho held her to him. He looked over her dirty, brown hair to stare into his father's eyes. "Leave. And don't come back." His voice was cold. Sakura flinched.

Izayio bit her lip and looked away. InuYasha stared back into his son's eyes. "If you ask me to leave, I'll take my own shards and collect the rest. And if it comes to it, I will kill you to get your shards. You are not supposed to be alive, anyway. Killing you will only make my mission easier.

"So, please, Son, do not ask me to take that path. I do not want to kill my own flesh and blood, but I will. The end means more to me than anything. I will walk through Hell and back to get this."

Sakura whimpered as InuTaisho's hold tightened on her. "Is that a challenge?"

Izayio put her hand over her mouth to hold back her cry of outrage. InuYasha's gaze briefly flickered to her and then back. "Do you want it to be?"

InuTaisho smirked. "I guess we'll just have to see who comes out victorious in the end, Old Man."

InuYasha growled. "Damn it, InuTaisho! I'm doing this for you. For Izayio. For us!"

The younger hanyou laughed again. "The same way you left, right? Was that for us?"

InuYasha looked down, his white bangs hiding his face. "InuTaisho, you don't understand. Maybe one day you will have a mate and if she is human, one day-"

"I will _not _mate a human!" InuTaisho yelled.

Sakura winced and whimpered. Izayio clenched her eyes closed. InuYasha looked back up at his son.

"You may say that, InuTaisho, but it's not up to you. Sesshomaru said the same thing and look at Rin. And I mated with my killer's reincarnation."

InuTaisho glanced down at Sakura. She still refused to look at him, merely staring into his chest; her tiny fists holding onto his suikan. His amber eyes darted back up.

"I don't care about my family ties, _Father_," he spat. "Just know that if you ever come here again and tell your lies to Sakura or anyone else, I'll kill you." With that, he returned his grip to Sakura's arm and led her away. She quietly obeyed.

Izayio looked forlornly back at her brother before whipping around to face her father, torn. Her eyes pleaded with him. InuYasha watched his son and the only person that could help him leave the meadow with him. He swore. Izayio approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder; InuYasha looked down at her.

"I know what you want to do, Father. And, I must say, I don't like it. I will help InuTaisho, even though it would be beneficial for him if I worked against him. I will turn my back on my miko duties to stop you." She bleakly told him.

InuYasha's eyes widened. "You, too? Why, Izayio?"

Izayio's caramel eyes narrowed. "Because my first memories are orders. That I was born for one purpose: to be slaughtered by her. It was my first mission in life. And now, I make it my goal to see to it that she never harms anyone. Ever again."

InuYasha's eyes narrowed in return. "Marika freed you and Kagome. You're first memories should be of Kagome being a mother towards you, of teaching you."

Izayio scoffed. "There is a phrase that I remember hearing Mother saying once or twice. I believe it was: Whatever."

InuYasha growled, "Damn it, Izayio! Stop talking about your mother that way! What's gotten into you?"

Izayio turn on her heel and marched back towards the village. Before she entered the forest, she paused. She looked over her shoulder and called back to him. "It's not Izayio anymore, Father. It's Aya. And it'll be Aya until I destroy the jewel and any chance of Kagome coming back." With that, she turned and ran into the forest.

InuYasha stood, stunned, alone in the meadow.

**X**

Sakura allowed herself to be pulled by InuTaisho. What was left of her already destroyed clothing was being pulled and torn more by the branches and brush. The ribbon holding up her hair had been pulled out long ago. Sakura panted from the quick pace she had to jog to keep up with him. InuTaisho hadn't spoken a word since dragging her away. And she really wanted to know what was going on. And why he wouldn't help his father. She stopped roughly, digging her heels into the dry earth. She hissed when InuTaisho continued on, pulling her arm roughly. He whipped around and growled.

"What, wench?" He snapped.

Sakura pulled her wrist from his grasp, frowning. "Tell me what is going on," she demanded.

InuTaisho frowned also. "What do you think? I'm taking you away from that baka before he fills your head with more lies."

Tears sprang to her eyes. He was so cruel. He would just walk away from his father, after threatening him, and not care. A sob escaped her throat as she thought of her own father. Another sob trembled through her body before tears poured from her eyes. Her body shook hard as she screamed from her sobs. She had been so close. So close to going home and seeing her family and friends. So close to a hot bath and warm bed. So close to normality. She put her head in her hands and cried even harder, until her voice was rough.

InuTaisho's eyes widened. He had never dealt with a crying woman before. Izayio had only shed a few tears the time that he had asked her what a half-breed was. He couldn't even image Momoko crying. And he had never met his mother. He thought of the times when he was young and Izayio would calm his tears. She would hold him, sometimes hum a lullaby. When he stayed with Rin and Sesshomaru, he had never seen Takeshi cry, so he had no idea how Rin calmed his tears. He swallowed hard and reached for her, pulling her back into his chest and holding her; awkwardly rubbing her back.

Sakura hiccupped and sniffed after awhile. "I want to see my family, one last time. I never go to tell them goodbye. And I yelled at Kaito." She mumbled into his chest.

InuTaisho felt emotions he had not felt since he had fallen in love with Momoko swell in his heart. She was just a child. A child from a different time who had been thrown into his and forced to do a task that most yokais could not even do. He felt sorry for her. He tilted her face back and looked down into her wet, chocolate eyes. He wiped away a few stray tears from the corner of her eyes with his thumbs. Her lashed were thick and wet; her face red. Her hair was mused with leaves woven into it.

He didn't know why he did it. But, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her soft ones. It only took a moment for the shook to leave her, and then quickly respond. Their lips moved together like a practice dance. InuTaisho's hands went to her hair and held her closer. Sakura's own hands went to the nape of his neck.

InuTaisho didn't know why, but for the first time since he had been five years old, he was truly happy.

* * *

Okay, Aya has taken over Izayio's body once again. Only InuYasha knows. InuTaisho _hates _InuYasha for walking out on Izayio and him, for those that don't remember. And now we see full on Sakura and InuTaisho. And yes, InuYasha plans to restore the Shikon no Tetsu to bring Kagome back to life. Will he do it? Or will Aya keep him from it? Or will InuTaisho use it to become a full yokai?

~Azarath101


	6. Planning

Happy Easter, everyone! Here's a little Easter gift from me to you! Enjoy! I own nothing but my own characters.

Also, real fast, I've had some mixed reviews about Sakura's and InuTaisho's kiss. It was supposed to be "random" as we will see the dfferent perpectives of it in today's chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Planning**

_**Previously on InuTaisho**_

_Tension builds between InuTaisho and Izayio. InuYasha returns to Chiyoda and asks for Sakura to help him restore the jewel. InuTaisho and Izayio inform InuYasha that they will not allow him to gather the jewel for different reasons. InuYasha learns that Izayio has reverted back to Aya. InuYasha's reason for gathering the jewel is to bring Kagome back to life. InuTaisho and Sakura kiss._

**X**

Sakura stared into her small bowl of rice, pushing the tiny morsels around with her chop-sticks. Akira and Izayio sat across from her on the other side of the dwindling fire. InuTaisho had left as soon as he had silently escorted her back to the village. Sakura blushed thinking about what had happened between them. It had been stupid of her to kiss him back. Even stupider of her to break down in front of him. She knew he hated her and she wasn't even sure how she felt about him. Were they even friends?

Suddenly not hungry anymore, she gently put her bowl on the old, wooden floor. Akira looked up at her across the glow of the fire.

"Something wrong, child?" She asked.

Sakura shook her head. "I'm not hungry." Happy that her hair was still down, she shrugged it over her shoulders to offer her more protection from the mikos' stares.

She heard them place their own bowls down. Izayio cleared her throat, obviously trying to get the attention away from Sakura's odd behavior.

"Akira, InuYasha was in the Sakaki Meadow earlier," she began softly.

Sakura peaked through her bangs at Akira and Izayio. Akira was clearly shocked.

"Where is he now?"

Izayio looked down. "He and InuTaisho had a fight. I tried to speak with him, but he stormed off. I believe he is trying to restore the jewel to accomplish his former wish of being all yokai."

Akira shook her head. "Ye can never teach an old dog new tricks," she paused. "Can the Shikon no Tetsu even grant wishes like the Sacred Jewel? I do not recall any one ever wishing on it. Only using it to gain strength over an enemy in battle." She wondered aloud.

Something fluttered inside Sakura. "So…InuTaisho might never be a full yokai?"

Akira nodded. "'Tis possible. We can not know until we have the completed jewel. We should also pray that we do not also have to face what Kagome and InuYasha faced over two centuries ago; that other yokai and men will not covet the jewel."

Izayio nodded firmly. "It's settled then. We keep InuYasha as far away from the jewel as possible."

Sakura and Akira looked over at her. Sakura tilted her head to the side. "But, doesn't InuTaisho wish the same thing? Should we not keep them both from using the completed jewel? And why can't we all work together. InuYasha already has two shards."

Izayio jumped up and stared down at Sakura. "What? Why didn't you tell us earlier? We could have gotten them from him while he was here! He already has a step ahead of us!" She growled loudly.

Sakura shrank into herself. Akira gaped up at the hanyou miko. "Izayio, why are ye so violent?"

Without answering, Izayio darted to her weapons and shouldered them. Without looking at either of them, she quickly departed the small hut. Sakura watched in confusion as the flap swayed. She turned to Akira.

"Why did Izayio leave?"

Akira continued to watch the entrance. "I know not, Sakura."

**X**

InuTaisho could fell the rough bark of the tree through his robes. One would think that after spending fifty years pinned to a tree, he would hate the feeling. However, sitting up in what Izayio called his "sulking tree," was something he enjoyed. High up and hidden away from the world, he could think. And remember. Now, he was remembering Momoko.

For the sake of his sanity, that was why he told himself he had kissed Sakura: Because she looked like Momoko. It had nothing to do with the fact he felt horrible seeing her cry. It had nothing to do with the fact that he felt a need to protect her. It was because she looked like his first love, Momoko.

Some tiny part of him still loved her. Even though she had betrayed him. Even though she had killed him. Even though she had reinforced his reasoning for not trusting anyone but his sister. A sharp pain pierced his chest where her deadly, enchanted arrow had pierced it long ago. He felt the need to place his hand over his chest, over his heart where the arrow had nearly hit.

He began to lift his lips in a snarl, however, when he drew in the breath to snarl, he smelt Izayio. All thoughts of kisses, Momoko, and spells left his mind. He leaned to the side to watch his sister. She dashed from Akira's hut. Her head whipped back and forth to -he guessed- see if anyone saw her. Seeing no one, she quickly ran down the path that would lead her away from the village. He raised a brow.

He was about to go after her when he noticed the reflection of the moon in a water trough. He swallowed. He had just barely missed being awoken in time for human night. About a week and a half later and he would have revealed his weakness to Sakura.

Thinking back, he thought he remembered Izayio's night being the first night of the new moon. Therefore, he figured, he shouldn't worry about her running off. She was merely preparing for her change and would be back in little over a week -in time for his so he could sneak off and not worry about Sakura getting into more trouble-. Not that her change was too extraordinary; she merely lost her inu-ears, odd eye coloring, and all of her abilities (yokai and miko). If she wore a rice hat, no one would notice her change.

Calmed, he sat back again. He would have to think of a way to get Sakura to agree to be baby-sat. He had a feeling that she wouldn't just sit by and allow herself to be watched over while he snuck off for the night.

Only his family knew when his change was. And to him, that was four people too many. He tensed. InuYasha would know when he would be his weakest. When the perfect time to attack the village and steal the shards and take Sakura and her miko abilities away. He swore. He would have to hide himself _and _Sakura _and_ her shard.

He glanced back up at the moon. If he could guess, he would say that he had about ten more nights, maybe nine, until the first night of the first half moon. He would have to go into hiding the night before.

He looked towards the direction of the Sakaki Well. Sakura had a need to go home. A need to say goodbye to her family. Perhaps he could allow her a few days to say goodbye. That would be the perfect way to hid them both away, assuming InuYasha could no longer pass through the well. If they both went to her time during those nights, he could watch her and the shards.

InuTaisho jumped down, landing on the balls of his feet on the ground. He slowly walked towards Akira's hut. He pushed aside the flap and entered. Akira and Sakura both looked up at him. Sakura blushed and directed her gaze else where. He decided to not think about the kiss as well.

How would he suggest this to her without Akira figuring out about his change? He sighed heavily, figuring he would have to tell them both. He squatted in front of them.

"Sakura, I have to ask you something," he started. Her blush darkened. He swallowed and forced himself to continue on. "We all know that we have to restore the jewel and that InuYasha wants it also," he paused.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. He wants to be a full yokai, like you." She mumbled.

This threw him off guard. InuYasha wanted to become a full yokai? Why? He had stressed to them both about how they should accept their human and hanyou halves –not that he cared-, so why would he want to be a yokai now? InuTaisho shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Anyway, there is something I need for us to do. For the safety of the jewel and to keep you out of trouble." Sakura frowned, but he went on. "Not many people know this, Sakura, and I ask for you and Akira to keep it that way. But," he sighed heavily again. "For hanyous, there is a time where they loose their yokai powers. On that night, I simply ask that we cross over to your time because InuYasha knows when it is and that would be the perfect time for him to attack. I can only assume that he can no longer cross over and I can only hope that I will be able to."

Sakura pulled her lip into her mouth, hope shinning in her eyes at the prospect of going home, even for a few days.

InuTaisho looked her in the eye. "InuYasha told us stories about how Mother would cross over and gather supplies and spend time with her family. You can do that on those days. But, we'll only be there for about three days. When we restore the jewel, you can go back home forever. Until then, you play by my rules. Got it?"

Sakura smiled widely. "Yes! Oh, yes, InuTaisho!" Sakura laughed and threw herself onto him, hugging him in thanks. He stiffened and remained so until she released him. She clapped her hands together like a giddy child.

Akira, however, was not as lighthearted. "When is ye change, InuTaisho?"

Sakura sobered up. InuTaisho's lips twitched. "That is not important right now. We won't need to leave for about seven days."

Sakura's shoulders slumped. "A week?" By then, her family would be certain she was dead.

InuTaisho's eyes narrowed. "Is that a problem?"

Sakura's chest tightened. "I've already been gone three days. Another week and my family will think I'm dead. I'm sure they've already called the police. Can we not go tomorrow and let them now I'm alive? Then, we can come right back and start looking for the jewel. And besides, InuTaisho, we need supplies. I could go back and get more suitable clothing, medicine, flashlights, and all kinds of helpful stuff. Then, we can look for the jewel and not stumble around for a week. What do you say?" She clasped her hands together and looked at him with wide eyes.

InuTaisho thought that over. She did have a point, but he didn't want her to know that. He growled. "Look, wench. You broke the jewel. It's your fault we're in this mess. In the morning, we'll search around for shards. If by tomorrow night we don't find any anywhere close, I'll let you go back to your time long enough to gather a few supplies and tell your family goodbye. However, if we find a shard, we go after it and don't go to your time until I say so. Understand?"

Sakura pursed her lips. He could tell she had some complaints. Finally, she nodded her head. "Fine. We'll play it your way…for now."

Nodding, InuTaisho stood. He paused before exiting the hut. "You should get some sleep, Sakura. We start early." He spoke over his shoulder and then left.

**V**

Sakura sat there, watching InuTaisho leave the hut. She would be going home. Even if it was for protection and supply purposes. And only for a few days, as well. She would get to see Papa, Gramma, and Kaito again. She could see her friends.

Akira's movements beside her brought her back to reality. She looked over to see Akira unrolling two futons. Sakura jumped up and quickly helped her, feeling bad for not doing so earlier.

Akira looked over at her. "I have never seen InuTaisho behave as he just did." She informed her.

Sakura pursed her lips. "Well…it might just be self preservation. After all, humans are essentially selfish. And, he is part human, right?"

Akira shook her head. "From what I have been told, Kagome was extraordinarily unselfish."

Sakura looked over her shoulder. Why would he allow her to go home? He had been so mean. She had even thought he wanted her to go home and stay there. And now that InuYasha was here and searching for the jewel, he needed her. He was actually trying to make her a little bit happy and protect her. And what about that kiss?

Sakura sighed and headed towards the flap. She needed to understand InuTaisho's motives. She heard Akira ask where she was going and she heard herself tell the older miko she would be back, but the only thing…person on her mind was InuTaisho.

She stepped out into the cool, night air. She shivered lightly, her eyes searching for InuTaisho. She clutched her hands together when she saw him. He was heading towards the burial grounds. She licked her lips and followed him. She didn't bother trying to be quiet, because she knew he already knew she was there. When she stepped on a twig and it cracked like gunshot through the quiet village, she stopped. Ahead of her, InuTaisho paused and glanced over his shoulder.

She could not make out the expression on his face in the darkness. He turned around and she continued up to him.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep." His voice was tight.

Sakura looked away. "I wanted to thank you. I don't know why you've changed all a sudden, but…thank you." She blushed.

InuTaisho scoffed. "This isn't about you. It's about protecting the Shikon no Tetsu."

Sakura looked up at him. "I know. But…I think I missed judged you. It may be about protecting the jewel…and yourself…but, you're being nice to me along the way."

InuTaisho looked into her eyes seriously. "Don't get too comfortable, Sakura. As soon as we gather the shards, I'll be a true yokai. It's just convenient to keep you around…for now."

Sakura searched his dark amber eyes. "What if you can't become a yokai? Will you stay a hanyou?"

InuTaisho crossed his arms. "I will become a yokai."

Sakura pulled her shard from her sleeve and held it up. "Akira said that the jewel was only meant to protect. To over come your enemies. She can't recall the jewel ever being used to grant wishes."

InuTaisho seemed to pull inside himself, remembering something. After awhile, he looked at her again. "Being a yokai, I will be able to over come all of my enemies."

Sakura drew closer, shaking her head. "That's not what she meant. It's a jewel of peace. It's to be used to protect. It's why Momoko created it."

InuTaisho's eyes flickered towards the first of the graves. Sakura glanced behind him to see the burial site. She chewed her lip. He was going to see Momoko's grave, she realized.

_'I thought he hated her…but…he _did _love her at one time. But, then why did he kiss me? Probably because I look like her.' _She shook the thought aside. "I guess…I'll leave you alone." She turned to leave, but she stopped when InuTaisho placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to look at him.

"Look, the only person I care about is my sister. If it came down to it, I would claim her as my person to protect." His eyes held a mixture of emotions.

Sakura turned to fully look at him. "That's selfish. Protecting a person should be out of love, not greed."

InuTaisho's eyes narrowed. "She is all I have."

Sakura crossed her arms. "That's not love. The first thing you did when I freed you was not going after her. It was to go after me to get the jewel…after killing that moth yokai for stealing it. If anything, you love that jewel. When the jewel is gone, what will you love then?"

Shock and anger crossed his face. He growled and grabbed her shoulders roughly. He twirled and pushed her up against a tree. Sakura cried out. InuTaisho breathed heavily.

"Do you think I don't know what love is? That I've never loved? I know what it means to protect a person." His eyes searched her large doe ones.

Her jaw clenched. "Apparently you don't remember. Protecting and loving a person isn't about growing stronger. Love is when one person knows all of your secrets... your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows... and yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you; even if the rest of the world does."

Sakura watched as InuTaisho's eyes lightened. She relaxed slightly as his grip also lightened. She exhaled loudly when he fully released her and stepped back.

He looked away. "That may be love for a human. But, I'm not a human. For my kind, love is about strengthening yourself. That is how Izayio and I have lived. That is how I will continue living." He turned and walked away.

Sakura watched his retreating form. She was puzzled. Was he bipolar? One minute he was telling her he hated her. The next he was kissing and opening up to her. The next he was reminding her how different they were.

"You don't have to live like that any more! I want to be your friend," she mumbled.

He didn't even flinch. He just kept walking towards the graves. She sighed and turned around, heading back towards the hut. She should sleep, because, after all, they were beginning their journey in the morning…alone.

**X**

InuYasha's scowl grew. Shippou had been trying to "cheer him up" since he had found the runt and Myoga. Eventually, Myoga had stopped participating and he started throwing out ideas about how to go about their new mission. InuYasha had not given any ideas.

Finally, Shippou groaned. "Come on, InuYasha! Don't be a stick in the mud! You're worse than the way you would act when Ka-" Shippou quickly stopped talking and looked down at his lap, twiddling with a fox magic trinket.

InuYasha was able to contain his flinch of pain. He looked down at the kitsune. Myoga had also grown quiet. The inu-hanyou scoffed.

"Feh. Maybe, I've just gotten used to your annoying antics, runt." He decided to just breeze over the whole comment.

Shippou let out a breath of air. Myoga coughed, drawing the attention to his self.

"Perhaps we should journey to Tokyo and seek out Miroku's and Sango's descendants. They would be able to help us in our journey." The wise flea suggested.

InuYasha tried to think back to the last time he had seen Sango or Miroku. He didn't even think he told them goodbye. Surely they were dead by now. If any of their descendants were in Tokyo, it would be their, at the least, tenth generation grandchildren. And Kami knew what stories had been past down about him. InuYasha shrugged.

"Fine. We'll head out to Tokyo in the morning." With that, he laid down and turned on his side, facing away from his companions.

Shippou looked down at Myoga and the two came to a silent understanding. Shippou curled up next to the fire and the two prepared for the night's rest. Shippou wished for the entire world that he had Kagome and her sleeping bag.

**X**

Aya looked up at the stars. It was about an hour until midnight. She would be human tomorrow night. She growled. Of course her journey had to start before the one night she would be weak. It reminded her all too fully why she needed to keep InuYasha from gathering anymore shards. She could sense a temple close by and she decided she would spend the night there and then in the morning head towards Tokyo.

It was the village she had "grown up" in. She knew that they would welcome her with open arms since she was the daughter of InuYasha and Kagome. And for that reason, she knew that Sango's and Miroku's descendants would help her. That and the fact that she had –unlike other family members- checked in every few years. She tried to think who would be of age when she got there and asked for help. Probably Saya. If she remembered right, she was a few years older than her brother Jun. Her cousin, Yasu, could also be old enough, maybe older.

The temple finally came into sight. She sighed, feeling tired. She would just have to wait and see when she got there. She entered the courtyard and ascended the stairs. An older monk pulled aside the screen and bowed. She bowed in greeting as well.

**X**

A young man dressed in dark blue monk robes entered the gates that lead to Tokyo. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, relieving the pain in them. He then reached into his sleeve and pulled out an amethyst colored sliver of jewel. He could sense the power emitting from it. He assumed that it was a piece of the Shikon no Tetsu. However, the miko Momoko had had it burned with her body. How could it be here now?

He decided the bush the thought aside and instead focus on getting back to his hut. One of the first huts on the outskirts of the village still emitted light. He smiled mischievously as he thought of the young female that lived there. A pervish gleam entered his eyes as he snuck closer. Through the screens covering the windows, he could see her curvaceous form. His smile grew as he watched her slowly walk about the hut, preparing for the night.

Footsteps behind him made him quickly turn around. He sighed in relief when the woman's younger brother, Jun, came into the light of the hut.

Jun crossed his arms. He wore the black, fitted material of a yokai slayer. His blue armor was stained. In other words, he had just returned from an extermination.

The young monk bowed lowly. "Jun, you look good."

Jun scowled, his light brown hair jutted out and casting his black eyes in shadow. "Probably not as well as my sister, eh, monk?"

The monk blushed and gave a friendly smile. "Now, why don't you say we keep this between you and me, huh? Man to man."

Jun raised his eyes and snorted. "Why don't you tell that to her?"

The monk quickly whipped around and winced. Behind him stood Saya; the Tenyo he had just been spying on. And she was angry.

"Kazue," she growled.

Kazue held up his arms in surrender. "I was just coming to show you what I found at the exorcism."

Saya scowled. Her long, light brown hair was pulled back and she wore regular pink kimonos. Her sapphire eyes were just barely covered by her bangs. "It better be good, pervert."

Kazue nodded. "It is." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the shard.

The two siblings gasped out loud. Kazue smiled. They knew what it was, too.

**X**

Sakura shot up into a sitting position, gasping. She had been so close to being in deep sleep when she had felt it. It was the presence of a Shikon shard. Her gaze flickered over to Akira. She was still asleep. Sakura jerked her coverings off of her, grabbed her bow and arrows, and scrambled out of the hut, searching for InuTaisho.

She spotted him up in what she was beginning to recognize as his tree. It seemed as if he too had just woken up. When his eyes landed on her, he quickly jumped down and rushed to her.

Sakura's eyes were wide. "I sense a shard!"

InuTaisho's golden eyes widened and then narrowed. "Where?" He asked her.

Sakura closed her eyes and felt out with what she assumed was her miko powers. When she opened her eyes, she was pointing and facing away from InuTaisho. "There." She told him.

She felt InuTaisho stiffen behind her. She looked over her shoulder at him, confused.

"Tokyo," he whispered.

Sakura turned to face him. "It won't be like the Tokyo I go to school in, will it?"

He glanced down at her. "I hope you weren't to set on going home today."

Sakura's shoulders drooped. InuTaisho turned and keeled before her. Sakura stepped closer, confused. He looked back.

"Get on my back, girl. You're so weak it'll take until morning to get there."

Sakura crossed her arms. "Why can't we go in the morning? Why are you so eager?"

InuTaisho looked away from her. "Because Tokyo is InuYasha's home. It's my birthplace. It's probably where InuYasha is hiding and we need his shards now."

Sakura swallowed and climbed onto his back, preparing to fly again over the forests.

* * *

Okay, so everyone is heading to Tokyo. Will they clash or will truths come out? And who will get the first shard?

~Azarath101


	7. The Journey Begins

I am so sorry for the slow update. I've had terrible writer's block due to P.T.S.D. and I have to force myself to write. It's just been bad lately. That is partically why this chapter is short. Just, bare with me, faithful readers. Of course, I don't own "InuYasha."

* * *

_**The south was just devastated by a series of tornadoes. My friends and I lost a lot of people we cared deeply about. I dedicate this chapter to them.**_

**Chapter 6**

**The Journey Begins**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Izayio runs off when she learns that InuYasha has two Shikon shards. InuTaisho decides to tell Sakura and Akira about his coming change and makes a deal with Sakura to return to her time for three days during his change. Sakura and InuTaisho confront each other about how to use the Shikon no Tetsu and InuTaisho reveals that the only person he cares about is Izayio. The three groups (InuYasha's, Izayio, and InuTaisho and Sakura) prepare to go to Tokyo, where Sakura has felt the presence of a shard._

**X**

Sakura held tightly onto InuTaisho until her knuckles turned white. His arms cradled her legs and backside as he glided through the forests faster than any human. Then again, he wasn't human. And, she had just learned he would only be human once a month. She leaned her face closer to his ear, her breasts pressing against his back.

"InuTaisho?" She asked, loud enough for him to hear her.

He didn't look back. "What?"

Sakura placed her chin on his shoulder. "How come Akira said she had never heard of Tokyo before if this village is called Tokyo?"

She felt InuTaisho shrug below her. "I've been dead for fifty years, girl. From what I've heard, Kyoko is starting to go through big changes. A lot of the humans your age are starting to call it Tokyo, while the hags still call it Kyoko. It doesn't matter what it's called to me. When I was a pup, it was called Edo.

"That's the problem with you humans. You have to name everything. You all can't live without categorizing everything." Sakura thought she could hear a growl rumble from his throat.

Sakura thought about that and slowly nodded. "Maybe…"

Silence fell between them. Sakura had a feeling InuTaisho was thinking about certain words that humans –and maybe yokai- might have called him. He was a halfbreed. She could understand why he would be hurt by being called something like that. Maybe mutt. She shivered. It was so cruel.

She could feel InuTaisho slow below her. She looked up towards the sky. It was getting lighter outside. She felt sleep tugging at the edges of her mind. She tried to shake it off. She tried to think of the last night she had slept through. She couldn't remember. It was probably the night before she came here.

InuTaisho jerked below her and she screamed and held on. Sakura heard him snort below her. "Girl, don't be falling asleep on me."

Sakura shook her head, shaking away the sleep. "I'm not, InuTaisho," she mumbled.

InuTaisho slowed to a walk. "We're almost there." He whispered.

Sakura loosened her grip. InuTaisho still held onto her thighs. She tapped him on the shoulder and he slowly released her. Sakura tried to smooth her clothing, but she soon gave up. She walked to InuTaisho's side. InuTaisho didn't look at her, he merely walked forward towards the where the trees thinned out and she guessed Tokyo, or Kyoko, waited for them.

**V**

InuTaisho could hear Sakura's footsteps behind him. He focused on the tree line ahead of him. Focusing on his mission, he hoped, would keep the memories at bay. His fists clenched and his shoulders tightened. He had thought that when he and Izayio had left this village a hundred years ago, he would never be back. And yet, here he was.

'_Sister? What's a halfbreed?' _He could hear his younger self asking Izayio in his mind. That had been the first time he had seen Izayio cry. As far as he could remember, it was the _only _time he had seen Izayio cry. She didn't even cry when InuYasha left them.

InuTaisho stopped suddenly and swore. He couldn't keep the memories away. He was walking into them. He didn't notice or hear Sakura until she stood in front of him. Her chocolate eyes were wide as she looked up at him.

He imaged that Mother had had those same eyes. Izayio's eyes were that color when she was human. InuTaisho jerked his gaze away.

They needed to finish their business here and leave. Quickly.

He drew in a deep breath and he noticed that he had blocked out all the surrounding noises. They came back to him quickly, like cotton had hastily been removed from his ears.

"-okay? InuTaisho?" He looked down at Sakura. He slowly registered that she had asked him a question.

Was he okay? He would as soon as the left. He shrugged around her. "Feh, girl. 'Course I am. I was taking in our surroundings. Let's go."

He stepped briskly towards the tree line with Sakura at his heels. As she was fully human, she stumbled around in the near darkness of dawn. The faint light had no effect on him. He paused and turned to face her. She looked up through her bushy bangs and a look of apology flickered across her face. She jerked forward. However, her foot got caught on a fallen branch. Her chocolate orbs widened and she lurched forward, her mouth parting to scream. On reflex, InuTaisho reach out for and caught her. Sakura fell onto his chest with a gasp. She tilted her head up and looked up at him. InuTaisho swallowed hard. The last time she had been this close, he had kissed her. He would not make that mistake again.

He looked away and moved his hands up her waist to her shoulders. He pushed her away and released her. She stood there for a moment.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

InuTaisho turned away again. "Just watch your step, _human_."

He didn't turn back, but he had a feeling that his harsh tone had made her flinch. He growled. He had only known her for three days and he was already picking up on her habits. They continued forward in silence until they exited the forest. InuTaisho's eyes flickered around. Edo had changed a lot since he had left. It truly was taking on the name Tokyo. The village had, at the least, doubled in size. The huts were larger and there were more manors.

Not many people were out; mainly the working class who were preparing to open up shop. The smells that drifted to him were of baking foods and humans; no yokais or hanyous. He looked down at Sakura.

"Do you sense the jewel?"

Sakura looked up and nodded, her eyes flickering away. "On the outskirts on the other side. It's still pure." Her nose crinkled again in the adorable way it did. "But…I can sense a…not so pure holder."

InuTaisho looked towards where she was looking. He started forward, but paused. He faintly heard a scream, a slap, and a call of "_Kazue!_" He looked back at Sakura over his shoulder.

"I think I know where it is." He turned back and sprinted forward. Sakura stumbled along behind him, but he didn't slow.

**X**

Kazue rubbed at his cheek where a red imprint of a hand was slowly fading. He grinned as he watched the yokai slayer grumblingly finish tying up her long, brown hair. She wore her black slayer clothing with her sapphire blue armor covering vital places. She was preparing to go on a mission.

Saya finally turned and face him. "I don't want you to come with me, pervert."

Kazue gasped in pseudo shock. "Saya! I thought we had a special bond!"

Saya picked up her katana and sheathed it in her blue obi. "Jun is coming with me. I need you to stay here and watch after Tokyo. I don't how long we will be gone and Yasu is expecting soon."

Kazue leaned on the side of Saya's hut entrance. "Aren't there mikos that are supposed to take care of that? Can't we contact Izayio?"

The slayer crossed her arms. "Izayio hasn't stop in since I was a child. I have no idea where she is. And mikos these days are few and far between. Tokyo isn't Edo anymore."

Kazue opened his mouth to argue but stopped. He looked over his shoulder. Saya's interest was piqued and she followed his direction of gaze. Saya gasped and reached for her blade. Coming down the path was a yokai with silver hair and startling red robes.

Kazue swore and reached into his sleeves for sutras. "Why didn't I sense it sooner?"

Saya shrugged. "It doesn't matter now, monk." She whipped around and called towards the village gates, "Sound the alarm! Yokai!" Almost immediately, bells began clanging through the early morning air.

Yokai slayers appeared almost out of thin air. The yokai stopped abruptly and growled. He raised his hand and cracked his fingers menacingly. A woman wearing tattered miko robes ran up behind him and stopped, panting.

Saya readied her weapon. Her eyes flickered around, calculating the moves of her comrades. She looked back at her enemies. She cocked a brow. Was the miko being held hostage?

She turned to Kazue. He met her gaze and she nodded towards the miko. He nodded in understanding. Saya flicked her hand and in one fluid motion, her comrades sprang forward. Saya headed for the yokai, her sword held down at her side. She jumped up and swung up wards with a slight curve. The yokai easily dodged and returned the attack with his claws. Saya swore and twisted to the side, just barely missing being slashed.

**V**

InuTaisho whipped around to face the yokai slayer. He recognized the outfit as one Sango wore a few times on exterminations when he was a pup. Meaning, this girl was probably related to her in some way. He held back on his attacks, only swiping at her to save face.

He glanced back at Sakura and growled. Her arrows were useless in a hand-to-hand fight and she had no way to protect herself, even as the monk that had been with the slayer approached her. Sakura awkwardly held herself, preparing to throw a punch that InuTaisho knew would have no affect on the monk. Swearing, he twisted around and threw a punch at the approaching slayer, throwing her back into three more slayers. He jumped up and flipped and landed in front of Sakura. The monk stopped his approach and pointed his golden staff at him.

"Yokai, be gone! Leave this fair maiden be and return to your domain!" He declared.

InuTaisho snorted. "You're calling this wench 'fair?' Maybe you need your eyes checked," InuTaisho's claws glistened. "Allow me to check them for you."

He moved forward slightly and he heard Sakura gasp. "InuTaisho, stay!" He heard her call out. And like before, his rosary glowed and he was pulled to the ground and with a **BAM! **

He weakly lifted his head. This time it did not hurt as bad and the spell was already beginning to wear off. He looked over his shoulder at the girl, hurt. She would let pretty words from an attacker sway her loyalty to him? Then again, she almost gave it to InuYasha. Perhaps she was not as loyal to him as he thought she was.

Sakura looked down at him with wide eyes. "He has a shard. I couldn't let you kill him. He's not evil."

InuTaisho looked away and sprang up to his feet. So, she was loyal to him. She just had too big a conscience. Sakura walked up beside him, and looked up at the monk. The slayer had now joined the monk at his side with a male slayer at his other side. The other few slayers were clustered around them all, watching for any signs of attack.

Sakura smiled. "Hello, houshi-sama. My companion and I are searching for the shards of the Shikon no Tetsu. The miko Akira has assigned us the job of collecting the shards and restoring the jewel. I can sense that you have a shard, and that it is still pure. Could we please have it so we may complete our mission?"

The monk glanced over at the female slayer. Her eyes were locked on InuTaisho. The monk's gaze slid back over to Sakura and then ran over her body. InuTaisho did not appreciate this and stepped forward and to the side, blocking her from his view. He could remember what she said earlier about the holder not being completely pure. He would not risk his miko being defiled and loosing her powers.

"You." The slayer's tone forced him to look over at her. Her eyes were narrowed. "The miko called you 'InuTaisho' before she subdued you. You wouldn't, by any chance, be InuYasha's son, would you?"

Preparing to be attacked, InuTaisho tensed. "What of it?"

The slayer crossed her arms. "It's just that InuYasha's son was pinned to a tree fifty years ago by the miko Momoko. There is no way he could be alive now because the miko died. And further more, his sister, Izayio, confirmed when she was here ten years ago that he was still traped. I would like to know how, if you are he, you are alive, here, now."

InuTaisho straightened to his full height. "That is none of your concern, wench. Allow me to ask you about your lineage. You would not happen to be a decedent of Sango and Miroku would you? And don't lie. I can smell their blood in your veins, how ever weak. And you have her looks."

The slayer straightened too. "Aye. They are my ancestors on my mother's side. Now, tell me. Are you InuYasha's son?"

InuTaisho looked into the eyes that had at one time been his surrogate aunt's. He could not lie to his would be surrogate cousin; he only had so much family he could trust. He nodded. "Yeah, I'm InuYasha's son. And I'm very much alive and well."

She stiffened and glanced at the other two. After a time, she sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "Give them the shard."

Anger flashed in the boy's eyes while the monk looked puzzled while reaching into his robes and pulling out the shard. Sakura smiled brightly as she reached for it. However, her smile turned into that of shock as she glanced over the monk's shoulder. InuTaisho quickly turned to face in that direction. He raised an eyebrow as the new visitor came closer.

The slayers parted for her and the small group before InuTaisho and Sakura turned to face the newcomer. The leader clapped her hands together and squealed. She then rushed forward to hug the new woman.

Izayio returned the hug gently, never taking her eyes off of InuTaisho. The slayer pulled away and smiled.

"Izayio, welcome home! It's been so long! And look! This guy says he's InuTaisho!" The slayer gushed.

Izayio's eyes slid to the slayer. "It's good to be home, Saya. And, yes. My brother and I have had the _pleasure _of meeting already." She clearly gave 'pleasure' a double meaning. "Saya, do you think a few of you could help me with a quest?"

The slayer, Saya, quickly sobered up. "Of course."

InuTaisho and Sakura glanced at each other. The hanyou finally stepped forward. "Izayio, why not join us? We both are collecting the shards."

The monk and Saya glanced back and worth at the hanyous. Izayio straightened. "No, brother. We are not after the same goals," her gazed shifted to Sakura, who shrank further behind InuTaisho. "Sakura, you know what his desire is. You need to assist myself and not him."

Izayio did not sound like herself, InuTaisho dawned. She sounded colder. Evil. He stepped closer to her, preening down at his older sibling. "Izayio, I thought we were after the same goal? Keeping InuYasha from gathering the jewel."

Izayio barked a cold laugh. "I would prefer Father get the jewel before you, Little Brother."

InuTaisho's face darkened. Sakura gasped. Izayio paid no mind to them as she turned to Saya. She held out her hand.

"Give me the jewel, Saya." Her caramel eyes were hard.

Saya stepped back, holding her arm out in front of the two males. The monk returned the shard to his sleeve, understanding Saya's message. Sakura's hand twitched for her bow. One of the males could not have been much older than her own brother. Izayio growled and rushed forward. InuTaisho gasped as she lifted Saya up by the collar of her slayer attire and hefted her aside as if she weighted no more than a pup. Izayio had strength that she had never possessed before yesterday. InuTaisho leaped forward as she reached for the monk.

Sakura screamed out and lurched forward too. Her goal was to protect the boy first. Izayio grabbed the monk by his throat and held him up, jumping away from InuTaisho as he rushed passed them. Izayio tore as the monk's sleeve, ripping the jewel away from him before throwing him aside like Saya. He knocked into the boy before falling to the ground. Izayio's eyes held lust as she gazed upon the jewel.

"Thank you, Kazue. I knew a man of your stature would be cooperative towards the correct purpose." Izayio coldly spoke.

Sakura kneeled beside the boy. She brushed his unruly bangs aside, tears welling in her brown eyes. She looked up at Izayio. "Izayio. Please…" Her voice cracked.

Izayio spared her a glance. "If you are not with me, you are against me. Give me your shard and I shall recover the rest."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "No."

Izayio snarled like an angry dog, her lips pulling away from her teeth and revealing fangs. She reared her hand back, her claws glowing. She moved as if to strike Sakura. InuTaisho cried out in defiance before jumping forward. Sakura closed her eyes and bent over the boy.

However, the pain never came. Sakura waited a few seconds before looking up. She gasped when she saw the man holding Izayio back. InuTaisho stood in front of her in shock as well.

"InuYasha!" Sakura cried out in relief. She knew he could not be evil if he was saving her.

InuYasha did not reply, he merely twisted himself and the growling Izayio around. He threw her to the ground and stood hunched over her, growling wildly too. Izayio looked up through her thick bangs. Her eyes flickered around, releasing she had been defeated. She hissed and flipped up and backward. She turned on her heel and sprinted out of the village.

There were shouts to follow her throughout the village. The slayers left standing chased after her. Sakura waited until the village became silent again to speak.

She cleared her throat. "InuYasha…thank you."

InuYasha turned and looked down at her. InuTaisho kneeled beside Sakura and gripped her shoulders. She weakly looked over at him.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

His concern surprised her. She nodded and then frowned. "But we lost the shard."

InuTaisho opened his mouth to reply, but InuYasha spoke for him. "No we didn't." InuTaisho and Sakura looked up at the older hanyou who held up the recovered shard.

InuTaisho growled. "Great, now you are two ahead of us."

Sakura elbowed him in the ribs and frowned. "InuTaisho, stay." InuTaisho flung to the ground. Sakura waited for his curses to die away before speaking again. "We can discuss the jewel later. We need to help the slayers. And then…figure out what was wrong with Izayio."

InuYasha frowned and crossed his arms. "That wasn't Izayio."

InuTaisho's spell began to fade away. He looked up at his father. "What the hell do you mean, old man? That was my sister."

InuYasha shook his head. "She might have _looked_ like Izayio, but she wasn't. That was Aya; Izayio's alternative being."

Sakura raised a brow. "Are you saying she has D.I.D.?"

The hanyous looked at her curiously. "Dissociative identity disorder or switch personality disorder. We learned about it in psychology. But, it's not a _real _psychological disorder. It's just something that the Americans came up with in response to the media. There are only very few real cases. As there is no media _here_, Izayio must really have it."

InuYasha smiled slightly. InuTaisho just snorted, breaking the mood. "I don't care what it is called or who came up with it. What the hell is wrong with my sister?" He glared up at InuYasha. "What did you do to her?"

Anger flashed in InuYasha's amber eyes. "I did nothing to her. It's the affect of a spell that was cast on her when she was brought back from the dead."

InuTaisho lurch to a stand. "What? Izayio was never brought back from the dead!"

InuYasha's eyes flickered down to the wounded. "Son, perhaps we should care for the wounded before we get into all that."

InuTaisho crossed his arms. "Fine."

The two hanyous and the futuristic miko assisted the villagers in treating the wounded, granted Sakura did more actual care than the other two.

* * *

Please give me some love and review. And because I can;t let a chapter go without asking stupid questions: How will InuTaisho react when InuYasha tells him the entire "fairy tale?"

~Azarath101


	8. Feudal Fairy Tale

Ok, I'm back on track. A rather quick update this time. However, **IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: **This is a "flashback" chapter. The parts in italics are sences from The Sad Sound of Destiny. Feel free to skip over them, they are mainly for those who haven't read SSoD and to add effect, because it wouldn't be InuYasha without tons of flashbacks to save on animation! And ofcourse, I don't own InuYasha or Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Feudal Fairy Tale**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_InuTaisho and Sakura arrive in Tokyo. After a brief fight, InuTaisho learns that Saya is Sango's and Miroku's descendant. Before Kazue can give them the shard, Izayio comes along and tries to steal it from them. InuYasha also arrives and fights Izayio off, earning the shard back. InuYasha prepares to tell InuTaisho the rest of the fairy tale and informs him that Izayio has an alter ego, Aya._

**X**

Two inu-hanyous, a futuristic miko, sibling slayers, and a monk sat inside the head slayer's hut. Saya looked up from the tiny dagger she was sharpening that she held in her slender hands. Sakura glanced over at her.

"Thank you, Saya for welcoming us into your home." Sakura smiled.

Saya shrugged. "It's nothing. After all, InuTaisho and InuYasha are practically family." She tensed, her hand forming a fist around the dagger's blade. She winced and hissed and relaxed her hand. "Kuso," she swore, looking down at the thin line of blood that welled from her palm. She carefully placed the blade down and reached for a scrap of cloth to wipe away the blood with. Without looking up, she spoke again.

"InuYasha, Sango and Miroku never passed down the rest of the story to us either. All we know are the basics. If we are to collect the jewel and stop Aya, we need to know the whole story. I know about Naraku already. So, just skip to when Izayio was born. All Sango said about it, so they say, is that Kagome had a hard labor."

All eyes flickered to the elder hanyou. He scowled and looked down. "The night Kagome went into labor, we had been called away for an extermination…"

_"I sense a strong demonic aura." InuYasha stated. Miroku nodded._

_"Whoever it is, they're still here." Miroku agreed. InuYasha unsheathed his sword._

_"Something doesn't feel right about all of this." Sango said. She walked further into the village. Most of the villagers were dead. She bent over and picked up a rock. With a flick of her wrist she sent it flying towards the nearest hut. A pack of yokai wolves poured out of the nooks and crannies of the surrounding huts. Sango took a step back and Miroku reached out towards his wife. InuYasha sniffed and then growled._

_"This smells like Kouga's pack."_

_Miroku turned towards him. "What? Why would Kouga launch an attack on a village like this?"_

_"He's done it before." Sango reminded him._

_InuYasha's eyes darted around. "Who cares why! Show yourself Kouga!" He yelled._

_At this, the wolves attacked. Sango and Miroku stood aside as InuYasha unleashed his Wind Scar on the attackers. They were easily beaten. A sense of wrongness flooded his body. It grew stronger._

_"Something's wrong." InuYasha walked further into the village and turned to look at the destruction. His ear swiveled as he heard a faint rustling. He whipped his Tetsusaiga around to point it at..."Ayame?" he questioned. Before him stood a wolf yokai. Her long red hair was pulled up into messy pigtails. He emerald green eyes pleaded with him. Her white wolf wrappings were soiled with dirt and dried blood and she had cuts and bruises on her body._

_"InuYasha." Ayame breathed. "Please, stop him." With that, the yokai fell to the ground. Miroku and Sango ran up behind him._

_"Ayame?" Sango questioned. InuYasha's eyes narrowed. _"Please, stop him,"_ played through his mind. First, Kouga's wolves, now Ayame. Something was wrong. Miroku had begun to tend to Ayame as Sango began to put out the fires. Then it hit him with a force to bring him to his knees._

_"KAGOME!" he howled as he felt her agony and pain through their mate bond. He turned on his heels and ran, praying to Kami to reach her and the pup in time._

Everyone listened closely to his tale. InuYasha drew in a shaky breath. "When we returned to the village, a few villagers, Kaede, Kagome, and Izayio were all dead. I went after Kouga, thinking it had been he who was behind it all. I was wrong."

InuTaisho's face was void of all emotion. Sakura's hand covered her mouth. The others listened on with the horror expected of a third party.

_InuYasha sniffed and growled._

_"No." InuYasha pointed his sword at Kouga's throught as Kouga blinked his eyes. "Talk." InuYasha demanded._

_Kouga swallowed and looked towards the brothers. "I have nothing to say." Kouga smirked again as InuYasha growled. Sesshomaru looked at the hanyou._

_"InuYasha, stop acting like a common dog." Sesshomaru scolded his brother in his deadly calm voice. InuYasha's ears twitched. Sesshomaru looked down at the wolf yokai. "Wolf, if you ever show yourself in my lands again I will kill you. If you ever raise another hand towards Rin I will kill you without a second thought. Now leave." Sesshomaru turned to leave when Kouga's laugh stopped him. Sesshomaru paused._

_"These lands are not yours. And they never were that fool InuTaisho's lands either. They belong to the Great Alpha Wolf!" Sesshomaru turned slowly and raised his sword. Without a word, he brought the sword down and severed Kouga's head and body. InuYasha gasped and narrowed his eyes at his half-brother._

_"Baka! Why did you kill him?" InuYasha turned his sword to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru turned and walked away, sheathing his sword. "You know something about all of this. Tell me!" InuYasha yelled after him._

_"This no longer concerns you." Sesshomaru said softly. InuYasha narrowed his eyes._

_"Damn it, Sesshomaru! Does this have to with The Old Man?"_

_Sesshomaru paused and turned to face InuYasha. "Before Father's...pointless death it had to do with him. Now, it is my business. My business is my own."_

_InuYasha straightened. "Sesshomaru, what the hell is going on? Did Kagome die for some __pointless __battle over power?"_

_"What you seem to believe is a pointless battle is not, __Little __Brother. The Western Lands are having trouble with a small disturbance, nothing more. The miko died merely because she was involved with one of Father's...offspring. She was killed because you chose to be involved with her."_

_InuYasha barked a laugh without humor. "That's it then? Your precious Rin is out of danger and that's all that matters. Never mind that Kagome saved Rin countless times and loved her. Never mind that Kagome was continuing __our __blood line." Sesshomaru angrily walked toward his half-brother._

_"Her pup was not continuing any blood line of mine. Any pup of yours is soiled with your human blood."_

_InuYasha growled. "Sorry I didn't mark my mate for her yokai powers. That I actually loved her. I guess you'll just end up with another bitch of an inu-yokai like your Mother." Sesshomaru reared back his fist and let it snap forward. InuYasha's head snapped backwards and he fell to the ground. _

InuYasha looked up at all the faces in the hut with him. His eyes lingered on Sakura. "Sesshomaru made it clear he did not want my help. However, Rin was able to convince him to help Kagome. I stayed at his castle while he prepared his soldiers," he paused. A sad look entered his eyes. "As my days to save Kagome and Izayio began to run out, I feared I was loosing my mind. I started to hear her voice in my mind and I began to wonder if I could in fact save my mate and child. However, my friends were able to keep me level headed. At least, until Izayio came along."

_The girl stood there, waiting for him. She never moved, she merely stood there watching him. InuYasha stopped when he was about ten feet away from her. He carefully sniffed. She smelt of death, Kagome, and…himself. She titled her head to the side and smiled at him sweetly, as would a child who wanted candy._

_"Are you the one called InuYasha?" She had a childish voice; she sounded the way Rin did when he had first met her. It sounded strange coming from a grown woman._

_"Who are you?" InuYasha demanded. She blinked her caramel eyes, her long black lashes tangled with her long messy bangs…his bangs. Her black dog ears delicately swiveled on her head. InuYasha swallowed hard. If someone were to combine himself and Kagome, she would be the outcome._

_Confusion swept over her face. "If you are the one they call InuYasha, you should know me…Father." The confusion melted away to a fang ridden breathtaking smile. The ground beneath InuYasha seemed to drop. He had dared to wonder that this girl was his daughter. But…how could Izayio be here and especially be all grown up?_

_"You…you're lying! Izayio is dead!" InuYasha yelled. The girl frowned._

_"I actually prefer to be called Aya." Aya turned her caramel eyes away from InuYasha and began to chew her lip. InuYasha swallowed as he recognized the habit from Kagome. How could he see so much of Kagome and himself in this Aya girl in only a few minutes…could she really be…? Aya turned her eyes back up to him, her lashes shading her eyes and making them darker. InuYasha drew in a shaky breath._

_"Iza-Aya…how do I know you are telling the truth?" InuYasha questioned._

_Aya placed a clawed finger to her lip and tapped it, thinking. "Hmmm…my mother's name is Higurashi Kagome. She came through a well and met you. She's a miko and you're an inu-hanyou. She described you as a two-timing scoundrel and a-"_

_"Okay!" InuYasha interrupted her. Some of that was common knowledge…but knowing her surname and the two-timing scoundrel bit…that was information only a few people knew. InuYasha sighed. "There __might __be a possibility you are my daughter…but, " he swallowed. "Could you tell me what happened to Kagome."_

_Aya looked down. "She's dead." InuYasha roughly stepped forward and narrowed his eyes._

_"You said is and that she told you all of that." InuYasha insisted._

_Aya looked to the left of him. "No I didn't. Mother is dead. She told me that stuff in the netherworld."_

_InuYasha clenched his fists. "How are you alive then?"_

_"Mother had a chance to save herself with her miko powers, but she chose to save me instead." She said it the way a bored actor would say a much hated line. Aya looked up at him. "I inherited her miko powers though."_

InuTaisho's hands were in fists and he was looking down so that his bangs created shadows over his eyes. Sakura looked over and then placed a hand on his shoulder. When he did not respond, she scooted over and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him to her. She could never imagine what he must be feeling.

InuYasha continued on, ignoring his son's reaction. "I completely bought into Aya's story, thinking –wishing- her to be my daughter. But, I was wrong and I paid for that with my life."

_Aya dropped to the ground like a rock. InuYasha cried out as he saw his daughter's eyes close. He stopped and dropped to his knees in torture. He could not look away from his daughter. An arrow rose out of her back as blood began to darken her hakui. He heard footsteps as a pair of red hakama appeared behind her. InuYasha weakly looked up the length of the hakama and then up the white hakui. It felt like someone had dumped freezing water on him as he looked into the eyes of his daughter's murderer. Those same cold chocolate eyes stared back into his yellow eyes. He had wanted nothing more than for the past three days to see those brown eyes again. Now, he didn't know what to do as he looked into the narrowed eyes._

_"Kagome…" InuYasha breathed._

_"InuYasha." Kagome spat at him…in the same cold way Kikyo had called out to him before she cast him under her spell. Kagome pulled her bow string back. "It ends here."_

**X Skip Forward x**

_InuYasha raised his head slowly. He saw Miroku and Ayame calling out for him. Couldn't they see that Kagome was safe? He began to disentangle from Kagome, but she held on fast. He looked down at her, a question forming on his lips. He felt Kagome's hand jerk behind him. InuYasha howled in pain as he felt the small dagger enter his body. Kagome pushed away from him and dropped to the ground, her bangs hiding her face. InuYasha's breath wheezed out of him as he dropped to his knees and then fully to the ground._

"Clearly, I didn't die that night. Marika broke her spell over Kagome and the others just in time. However, not all of the spell over Izayio was removed. Since her soul had been brought back and replaced so suddenly, half of her soul remained in darkness. Her body is home to two souls, in theory. The light, Izayio, and the dark, Aya."

Sakura held InuTaisho tighter and he stiffened. She herself was having a hard time taking all of this in. Izayio had been so kind to her…She felt so sorry for the hanyou miko and InuTaisho, who had gone his whole life and never heard any of this.

"Aya holds a deep hatred for Kagome because she feels that it was her fault that she was killed as an infant and then brought back as an adult only to be slain again. We believe that Aya was able to convince Izayio to feel a small hatred for Kagome as well. Now that she knows that I plan to gather the shards to bring Kagome back to life, she is determined to stop me."

This caused InuTaisho to jerk his head up. Sakura squeaked and scooted back slightly in surprise. InuTaisho slammed his fist onto the ground, scaring the other humans. InuYasha looked at his son expectantly.

"You mean to tell us that you want to bring Mother back and _not _become a full yokai?" Something the others could not discern flashed in his amber eyes.

InuYasha looked up at his son. "I've not wanted to be a full yokai since I met your mother, InuTaisho. Yes, I claimed I wanted to be one while we were fulfilling our mission, but I had no intention of ever wishing for it once I finally understood that I might kill her and the others."

InuTaisho snorted and looked away. "Feh. If I remember right, that would count as a pure wish, right? Meaning the jewel will cease to exist when you make it. That means I'll either have to get to it first or forget my own desires."

Sakura looked up at InuTaisho through her long lashes. "InuTaisho…it seems we are back to a love discussion. Who do you love more? Your self or your mother?"

InuTaisho slowly looked over at Sakura, his eyes narrowed. "I'll find another way to become a more powerful yokai." With that, he stood and exited the hut.

The others watched him leave in silence. Sakura finally looked over at InuYasha. "We'll help you, InuYasha. So, we already four shards. How many do you think are out there?"

InuYasha shrugged. "These shards are twice the size of the shards from when Kagome shattered the Shikon no Tama. Kami only knows."

Kazue pursed his lips. "I'll try to get in contact with other shrine keepers and have them alert us if they hear of any shards."

Saya pulled away her cloth to examine her cut. "I'll go with you. You all might need a yokai slayer on your side."

InuYasha nodded. "Yes, Sango was a big help. I would appreciate that."

Saya looked over at Jun. "Jun, stay here with the village. You're second in command and Tokyo will need someone strong to protect it in my absence."

Jun shrugged. "Of course, sister."

Sakura pursed her lips and her eyes began to sting. Jun reminded her of her own brother, Kaito. She missed her family deeply and she knew that if they began their journey as early as she was thinking, Kami only knew the next time she would see them again. She tried to think of what day it was. Maybe Saturday; she smiled sadly thinking of Kaito sitting in the floor of their living room watching Yu-Gi-Oh! reruns, of Papa attempting to make dinner, of Gramma hollering about some legend or other. She had to wrap her arms around herself to keep her scream of pain in.

InuYasha looked abruptly over at her. He reached inside his robe sleeve and pulled out his shards. She held them up out to her and she slowly took them, a question burning in her eyes.

"You're the only one who can keep 'em pure," he grumbled.

She blushed and hastily excused herself and ran from the hut, leaving her zori behind. She ran blindly, hot tears pouring from her eyes. She needed to find the Sakaki Well. She had to tell her family goodbye. She looked up at the sky. Another whole day had past.

Her foot caught on a branch and she screamed as she was flung to the ground roughly. She heard cloth tear and felt white hot pain as her knees and palms were cut on debris. She lay there stunned. She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps pounding on the forest floor behind her. A shadow loomed over her and then a figure kneeled beside her. She looked over and didn't bother to hide the tears that ran from her eyes.

InuTaisho's eyes were wide as he looked down at her. Sakura sniffled and tried to hide her face. She felt his warm hands take hold of her and then she felt herself be picked up and cradled against his chest. She weakly looked up at him but he did not look at her as he silently made his way through the darkening forest.

Suddenly all of Sakura's sleepless nights and injuries took hold of her and she slipped into unconsciousness.

**X**

InuYasha stepped out side the hut. The humans were preparing to sleep for the night, expecting to begin in the morning. He knew better though. He had heard Sakura fall and then InuTaisho pick her up and carry her away. He and the humans could not leave until Sakura and InuTaisho returned. InuYasha looked up at the waning moon. InuTaisho's change would be soon. They would probably not return until after the half moon was over. In Kagome's time, that would be a week.

The hanyou sighed. He could not wait a week. They would just have to wait for word from Kazue's monks. He rubbed the back of his neck, twisting it to get the kinks out. He would send Shippou to Chiyoda to inform them of their progress. InuYasha smirked. After forcing the runt and Myoga to stay at the camp, Shippou would enjoy the small task.

InuYasha glanced up at a nearby tree. He leaped up and landed gracefully on the top most branch. He leaned back and prepared to rest for the night. He fell asleep to the remembered sounds of Kagome's steady breathing.

**X**

Aya clutched her arm tighter and hissed. Her eyes narrowed to slits and flashed gold. Her gaze slid down to her arm. InuYasha had unintentionally broken it when he had thrown her to the ground. It would heal soon, but it would take at least three days.

She looked up. She could sense that a temple was near. She just needed to get to it in her weaken state. She started forward again, a smirk forming on her face.

It was just like fifty years ago when she had attacked Momoko. Momoko's arm had been removed from its socket and sliced open savagely causing her to bleed out; not to mention the other wounds she had inflicted on the human miko. She barked a laugh. It had been all too easy to disguise herself as InuTaisho –especially after she had killed Moriko and absorbed her miko powers- and trick the foolish human and kill her.

Her smirk grew as she thought of how she then disguised herself as Momoko and tricked InuTaisho. She laughed wildly as she remembered how the two ill-fated lovers had played right into her hands. However, she smile dropped and her laughter ceased as she thought of the new obstacle in her way: Sakura.

Aya drew closer to the clearing that held the temple. She clutched her arm tighter. No matter. She would just kill the girl. Aya's smirk returned. And, if she knew her dear baby brother well enough, she knew that he would soon fall in love with her. Sakura's death would weaken him; making it all too easy to gather the shards and destroy them for good. She stepped closer to the temple and played the guise of being a beaten miko and allowed the monks and mikos to care for her. Her wild hair hid the cruel smile on her lips.

**X**

InuTaisho looked down at Sakura. She was still asleep. Her face was pale, her hair was wild around her dirty face, and her lips were slightly open. InuTaisho increased his speed slightly. He needed to get her back to her time.

He could remember every story that InuYasha and Izayio –Aya- had told him about Mother's time. If Sakura was from the same time, he knew he could get her better help there, and maybe, just maybe, meet his mother. InuTaisho snorted at the thought. The gods had never been that grateful to him before. His face darkened as he thought of how Momoko had betrayed him, his father left, his mother died, and now his sister was against him. He had never had any thing well in his life.

Sakura moved in his arms and he glanced down. Her fists tightened on his suikan and a small moan escaped her parted lips. She eyes clenched tighter and her breathing was rapid.

InuTaisho slowed. Was something wrong? Was she seriously hurt? And then, he heard it.

"Inu…InuTaisho…." She whispered.

Immediately, her face relaxed and she calmed. Her breathing returned to a steady pace. Shock flashed on InuTaisho's face as realization dawned. She must have been having a nightmare. And…her dreaming of him made it better.

He realized he had been wrong. He had something well in his life now. Sakura. She woke him up. Brought the Shikon no Tetsu back. And put him on the track to regain his family again. She was like a pure light, burning brightly, in the dark cave that had been his life.

He smiled when he finally saw the Sakaki Well. Praying that this would work, he held her more tightly and jumped down.

They were embraced by warm, blue light. He smiled in success.

* * *

Ok, InuTaisho is taking Sakura back to her world. Yes, I know that falling, lack of sleep, and a few minor injuries aren't worth all that drama, but this is based on a "classic" anime. Anyone seen Sailor Moon R: The Movie? The characters freak out when Fiore pushes Serena! And as Sakura recieved more than a push, it warrants InuTaisho's reaction. And who expected Izayio/Aya to be behind, like, EVERYTHING! Talk about throwing y'all for a loop!

And on a personal note, thank you DemigodWitch96. And of course, thank you to Msmes for reviewing.

~Azarath101


	9. Home Again

Yay, update! Not much to say today...I don't own InuYasha or Yu-Gi-Oh!.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Home Again**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_InuYasha tells InuTaisho, Sakura, and their comrades of how Aya came to be. InuTaisho agrees to help InuYasha bring Kagome back to life. InuTaisho takes Sakura back to her time after she tries to run away and gets injured. It is revealed that Aya killed Moriko and Momoko and tricked Momoko and InuTaisho._

**X**

Music drifted into Sakura's ears. She groaned and burrowed deeper into her warm, soft pillow. She welt warm, safe, and…dirty? She rapidly blinked open her eyes and jerked up in her bed, panting. Early morning sunlight streamed in thru her open window. She could hear bird song and felt the cool breeze of a spring morning. She threw her covers off and swung her feet off of her bed. She looked down when her feet didn't slip into her pink house shoes. She nibbled on her lip as she saw InuTaisho asleep on her floor, leaning back on the side of her bed. How did she miss him? She quietly tip toed around him and to her door. She gently turned the knob and opened the door.

Once she was in the hallway, she could smell breakfast. She could hear Gramma talking. She could whatever anime Kaito was watching. She was home. Tears sprang up in her wide chocolate eyes.

As she quietly walked down the stairs, she could hear more sounds.

"Anzu. I need your help one more time."

"Pharaoh. I need you do me this one favor. I want you to destroy that body. I'm sorry for all of the things that I did to you and your friends. I don't care what happens to me as long as he doesn't get his hands on the millennium items. Please just do me this one last favor. Destroy my body."

A small smile formed on Sakura's lips. Kaito was watching a Yu-Gi-Oh! rerun. She paused on the last step and leaned onto the wall. She looked into the living room where Kaito sat on the floor. Her smile fell. He usually played along with Atem, today he wasn't. His treasured Duel Monster cards lay scattered behind him. His Duel Disk was behind him on his left, not even opened and prepared to be used. His usually spiky brown hair was limp.

She turned her attention to the kitchen when she heard Gramma talking. "I'm worried for Kaito. I think I'll stop in at the shop and pick up some herbs."

"No, Mother. Kaito will come out of it soon. But, when that damn girl gets back…"

Sakura's eyes widened and a few tears slipped loose. The cold way her Father regarded her absence…it made her feel sick. Like it was her choice to be pulled down a possessed well and thrown into the past.

She heard the sounds of food being served and placed on the table. "Kaito, breakfast," their Father called. She watched Kaito nod to himself, not even voicing a question to have it brought to him the way he usually would. The younger sibling weakly stood and turned. He looked up and his hazel eyes met hers. Sakura smiled weakly and moved forward. She knelt beside his cards and without looking at him, she began to straighten them.

"So, who's winning? Marik or Yuugi?" She asked pass the lump in her throat. Through the veil that was her bangs, she saw Kaito drop to his knees in front of her. She reached for one card and flipped it over. "Dark Magician? Isn't this your favorite card? You should take better care of these cards. After all, good luck finding replacements, right? Everything is GX now." She looked up and offered her brother a small smile.

Kaito's shock slowly wore off. "Yeah. And I know it's going to be Yuugi. Good always wins."

Sakura rolled her eyes playfully. "Whatever. You know it's going to be Yuugi because you've seen it, what? A hundred times?"

Kaito frowned playfully. "More like twice all the way through."

Kaito also reached for a card and held up the Dark Magician Girl and smirked. "And wasn't this your favorite card when you used to play?"

Sakura smirked back. "Key word there: used. I'm too old for children's card games."

Kaito frowned. "It's not a children's card game. It's a strategic battle game."

"Whatever!" Sakura playfully pushed him. Kaito grinned and pushed her back. Before long, the two siblings where both lying in the floor laughing, red faced and breathless.

They looked up when they heard footsteps entering the living room. They quickly sat up, scattering the cards further.

"Kaito, who are you…" They're Father looked up from cleaning his glasses and trailed off. His eyes widened and he dropped his glasses. They fell to the floor and cracked, the only noise in the suddenly silent house.

"Sakura…" he breathed.

Tears sprang anew in the teenaged miko's eyes. She shot up and ran to her father, arms outstretched. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"Oh, Daddy! I was so scared!" She sobbed.

Her father stood there for a moment before his shock dissolved. His black eyes hardened and he scowled. Her grabbed her roughly by the arms and pushed her away. She shrieked and fell to the ground. She looked up at her usually gentle father, her eyes wide and red.

Kaito gasped and crawled to her side. "Sakura…" he whispered.

"Where the hell have you been for the past week?" Kobayashi-sama demanded.

Sakura blinked. "A yokai came out of the well and-"

Her father stepped closer. "Don't try to give me that same lie Kaito did! Where were you and what happened to your clothes?"

Sakura looked down at her forgotten miko robes. They were ripped, dirty, and bloody. "Huh, Akira-sama gave these to after my uniform got messed up when the yokai ripped the jewel from my side." She sweat dropped. The story sounded ridiculous to her and she had lived it…

Her father kneeled before her. "Are you on drugs?"

Sakura pulled her lip into her mouth. She glanced over her father's shoulder and saw Gramma standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Soji." Gramma scolded.

Sakura's father looked over his shoulder. "What, Mother?"

"Leave her alone." She frowned.

Sakura's father jerked back up and turned on Gramma. He pointed a finger at her. "Look, Mother, she is my daughter and she needs to learn not to dishonor this family by running off and forcing her brother to lie about some damned yokai! I will force her to learn her lesson one way or another!"

Gramma stood her ground. Sakura watched in fear as her father turned on his heel and reached down for her. Sakura screamed as he grabbed her by her collar and pulled her to her feet. Kaito's and Gramma's screams joined Sakura's as her father threw her against the wall. Sakura's head banged against it and her vision blurred. When it cleared, she saw her Father rear back his fist. Sakura screamed and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, everything stopped. She peaked open her eyes and gasped. Sakura slid down the wall weakly at the sight before her. Her father looked over his shoulder at the man that held his fist back. InuTaisho stood behind her father, holding back his fist. InuTaisho's eyes held tinges of red in them and his purple stripes where more so jagged and darker. His once cute dog ears where flat against his head and he was growling, showing his fangs.

Over by the kitchen, Gramma clutched Kaito to herself. Sakura shook her shock away and found her voice.

"Inu…InuTaisho," she murmured.

InuTaisho glanced down at her. Seeing her safe, his stance relaxed, his ears twitched up, and his face reverted back to normal. Sakura sighed as he slowly released her father. Her eyes stayed on InuTaisho even as her father stepped back to the rest of her family. Sakura looked into InuTaisho's eyes as he kneeled in front of her. He tentatively reached out a clawed hand and cupped her face, staring back into her wide, chocolate eyes.

"Are you hurt, Sakura?" His voice cracked, revealing his fear.

Sakura shook her head in the negative. "Thank you," she whispered so low that she was sure only he could hear. She glanced back up at her family. InuTaisho stiffly followed her gaze.

"Father, Gramma, Kaito, this is my friend, InuTaisho. He saved me countless time and even brought me back home last night. InuTaisho, this is my family."

Kaito's hazel eyes were wide in wonder. He wiggled away from Father and Gramma and moved closer. He grinned.

"Cool! Are you a yokai?" He asked excitedly.

InuTaisho glanced over at Sakura. She smiled and nodded in encouragement. He turned back to the younger sibling.

"I'm a hanyou."

Confusion swept over Kaito's face. "A hanyou? What's a hanyou?"

Gramma stepped forward, squinting to better see InuTaisho. "It means, child, he is half human, half yokai. Tell me, InuTaisho, are you of any relation to The Great Inu-Yokai?"

InuTaisho smirked. "He was my grandfather."

Sakura smiled in happiness as she saw the excitement in Gramma's aged brown eyes. Her smile grew as she felt InuTaisho relax. He had won over two-thirds of her family. This thought caused her smile to dim. She looked up at her father. He stood still by the kitchen doorway, his arms crossed and frowning at them all. Sakura's face saddened. He was not pleased. She could tell he was thinking that she had disgraced herself and dishonored her family somehow by disappearing for nearly a week and returning with a boy, who appeared to be her age, was defensive of her, and claimed to be a hanyou, descended from a mythical yokai lord.

She blushed as she thought of this. She would never…he didn't even…he loved Momoko…they had a mission…So many arguments ran through her mind. However, she had to ask herself, did she care? She slowly turned back to face InuTaisho, who was answering lineage questions asked by Gramma. And she knew her answer. She didn't.

Her smile returned and she leaned closer to InuTaisho, her hand slipping atop his. She smiled when she felt him move his hand to hold hers.

**X**

InuTaisho had woken panicked this morning to find Sakura gone. When he heard her screams, he nearly lost control of his yokai as he flew down the steps to find the man she claimed as her father preparing to punch her. He had to clutch tightly to his humanity to keep from killing the man.

However, now he found himself seated at Sakura's family table. Sakura still wore her tattered robes and smiled brightly as she eagerly watched him interact with her family. Her brother, Kaito, seemed to regard him as a type of hero. And her grandmother, who happened to be a miko, kept asking him questions about his hanyou powers and the like.

He couldn't stop him self from glancing at her father every so often, however. He stiffly sat at where the head of the family would sit with a scowl on his face. Her father clearly did not like that he had saved Sakura. InuTaisho held his chopsticks tighter, almost snapping them. He would make sure that Kobayashi-sama never grew near to laying a hand on Sakura.

"InuTaisho?"

He looked back to his front at Gramma, as Sakura and Kaito called the older miko.

"What?" InuTaisho asked.

Gramma frowned slightly. "I asked for your parents names. You said InuTaisho-sama was your grandfather. If I remember correctly, he bore two sons: Sesshomaru and InuYasha. Which is your Father?"

InuTaisho glanced down at his small remainder of food. "My father is InuYasha, the youngest son."

He peaked up through his bangs at Gramma. She nodded her head slowly. "So then, the miko Kikyo would be your mother? Tell me, where you born before she killed InuYasha? Wait. You would have had to be because Kikyo died shortly after."

InuTaisho's mind drew a blank. Kikyo? Who was Kikyo? And what did Gramma mean by saying she killed InuYasha? InuTaisho shook his head. "No…my mother was Higurashi Kagome."

Sakura, Gramma, Kaito, and Kobayashi-sama all stopped and looked at him. Sakura nodded to herself.

"That's right; Izayio mentioned something about the name Higurashi. I guess I didn't put two and two together." Sakura murmured.

Kobayashi slammed his fists down on the table. Plates and cups moved from the force and everyone turned to look at him. "Higurashi? The same girl that after high school ran off and got married? The sister of that good for nothing history teacher, Higurashi Souta?"

InuTaisho tilted his head to the side. He stared at Sakura until she finally looked up at him and understanding lite in her eyes.

"Oh! Well, my teacher, Higurashi-sama had a sister named Kagome. A few days after she graduated, she just left. The Higurashis said she got married. Some people say she died and they're covering it up. Others say she's a delinquent," Sakura explained.

InuTaisho pursed his lips, wondering. "Is it possible that…she could have been my mother?"

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe. But, gosh…that had to have been…at least seven years ago."

Gramma gently placed her chopsticks down. "It may very well be that you are going back to a different time period than Kagome-chan did, if they are in fact the same girl. I need to go to the Higurashi Shrine anyway to pick up something. We can go tomorrow and learn for our selves."

InuTaisho looked down, his bangs casting his eyes in shadow. He could be close to learning about his human family. About his mother. He smiled slightly to himself. However, when Kobayashi-sama slammed his chopsticks down on the table, cracking them, InuTaisho jerked back up.

The older man appeared angry. "I will not have my daughter –or any member of this family- running around playing childish games. This is not one of those RPG's you teens seem to love so much." He pointed an accusing finger at a stunned Sakura. "Now, you, young lady, will march right on up to your room and change out of those ridiculous clothes and begin calling up your friends and catching up on your schooling. If you want to keep going to school in Tokyo, you had better fix your act or you'll be going right here in Chiyoda."

Sakura looked down at her plate. InuTaisho felt anger boil inside him. He about stood and confronted Sakura's father again, when Sakura straightened and looked her father straight in the eye.

"Father, right now, I have a mission more important that finishing middle school and getting into a good high school. I have a duty to restore peace to a war covered land. It may appear that I am dishonoring my family here, but if I gave up on my friends in the past, I would not only hurt more people, but I will dishonor myself." She looked down, her face red from her outburst. She pushed her chair back and collected her plates.

InuTaisho followed suit and followed her to where she placed them. She appeared to know that he was following her, but she made no move to stop him. Together, they marched up the stairs and went back to her room. Sakura closed the door after him and sighed.

"Well, that could have gone better." She sighed.

InuTaisho allowed himself a glance around her strange, pink room. "Your father is…demanding."

Sakura shrugged. "He's been like that since Momma died." She walked past him and to the opposite wall where she opened another door that contained several articles of clothing. InuTaisho watch curiously as she fingered the fabrics.

"I'm sorry I begged you to bring me here. I guess I thought I had so much to live for here, but I don't." She murmured, not looking at him.

**V**

Sakura pulled her bottom lip into her mouth as she fingered a pair of denim jeans. She had spent all of her time wishing to be back here, and now that she was here, she wished to be back in the past. She heard the faintest of movements behind her. She stiffened and then relaxed when she felt and sensed InuTaisho move behind her. He gently placed a clawed hand on her shoulder. In response, she slowly turned to face him.

His golden eyes held several emotions and they searched her own eyes. She sighed in pleasure when his hand trailed up to cup her left cheek. She leaned into his soft embrace and placed her own hand over his.

She watched as he seemed to fight some internal struggle. His Adam's apple bobbled as he swallowed and licked his lips.

"I was scared, Sakura," he murmured.

Sakura's gleaming chocolate eyes widened and then softened. "Why? I don't think Father would have really hurt me…" Her voice trailed off. She knew she was lying. She had in fact been scared herself.

InuTaisho's eyes clouded over with a strong emotion; guilt, maybe? He shook his head. "It's just…when I woke up…you were gone and I heard screaming. I felt helpless. And then fury when I sensed you were in danger."

Sakura could tell he was struggling to find the words. She smiled in reassurance and wrapped her slender arms around his lean waist. She hugged him to her and smiled when she felt him return her hug.

"It's okay, InuTaisho. And I thank you," she whispered. She closed her eyes in content. She nuzzled closer to his chest. "InuTaisho?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, Sakura?" She felt his voice rumble in his chest.

"You said you sensed that I was in danger…How?"

InuTaisho shrugged and gently pulled away from her. "I've been around you a lot for the past few days. I'm starting to notice changes in your scent. And my mother was a miko, so I can just barely feel the auras of humans."

"Oh." Sakura thought that over. She turned back to her closet. Today she had surely been given a lot to think over. She pulled a pair of denim jeans from her closet and a Hello Kitty shirt. She looked down at them and pursed her lips. She couldn't fight or search for shards in these, but they would work until she had to go back.

She looked over her shoulder at InuTaisho. He was eyeing her room with a curious gleam in his eye. She turned to face him again. She suppressed a giggle when he quickly turned to face her, pulling on a mask of innocence.

"I'm going to shower and change. Can you stay in here? When I get done we can go find Higurashi-sama."

InuTaisho nodded and folded his arms inside his sleeves. "Feh. Whatever."

Sakura sighed heavily. They were just starting to open up and he was closing off to her again. She huffed and turned on her heel, walking quickly out of her room.

* * *

Will InuTaisho meet Souta and the rest of Kagome's family? Don't really have much to say...Review...Oh, and there will be Yu-Gi-Oh! references along with Kaito. And the arguement between he and Sakura about "children's card games" is based on an actual event between my and my brother. Lol. There's to you, bro.

~Azarath101


	10. Higurashi

**Author's Note: **Yes, guys, I know this chapter is short (seems I'm saying that a lot lately...). Anyway, I wanted to post something before I went on vactation for the next few weeks. I'll be writing when I have time, but not sure when the next update will be.

I don't own InuYasha or Yu-Gi-Oh!.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

**Higurashi**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Sakura's father is angry about her disappearance. Sakura's grandmother and brother are willing to help Sakura and InuTaisho in their mission. Slight InuTaisho and Sakura fluff._

**X**

Sakura ran her brush through her brown hair one last time before exiting the bathroom. She carefully looked down the hallway to make sure her father wasn't waiting for her before dashing back to her, to InuTaisho. She slipped into her room and cocked a brow at InuTaisho. He sat on her floor with her photo album opened before him. He quickly looked up when he heard her close the door.

Sakura slowly dropped to her knees and crawled closer to the hanyou, who watched her curiously. She carefully picked up the old book and closed it, trying not to glance at the pictures it held. She didn't want to think about her past when she had to save an entire era and help InuTaisho learn of his own.

She reached behind him and shoved it back in place on her bookshelf. She looked up at him through her bushy bangs. "I'm going to ask Gramma if she's ready to head out. We need to do something about your ears and face…" Her voice was monotone.

The ears in question flattened against InuTaisho's pale head. "You're mad," he stated.

Sakura sighed heavily and stood turning to face her vanity table. "No, InuTaisho, I'm not mad. I just don't want to look at the album."

She reached for a pink scrunchie and began to pull her thick hair back into a high pony tail, being sure to keep her bangs down to hide most of her eyes. In the small mirror, she could see InuTaisho stand and walk up behind her.

"Why don't you want to look at that…album?" He seemed to taste the new word.

Sakura released her pony tail and it fell into place after a quick tug. She pretended to focus on a scrap on the aged wood of the vanity top. "'Cause if I spend too much time focusing on my past here, it'll give me a reason to stay. The only reason I truly have, I'm learning, is my brother. Kaito was messed up pretty bad by my disappearance. Father hasn't been the same since Momma died. And Gramma has her miko duties…I have…well, nothing. Nothing now that I have the mission to restore the jewel. Guess I just needed to come back to realize that."

She glanced up at him through her mirror. He was watching her intently. "Kaito…has Duel Monsters…"

Sakura squealed with laughter. The way the inu-hanyou from the past implied that her brother had a childish card game for his reason for living…it was priceless. She delicately wiped at a small tear from her laughter and nodded. "Yeah, Kaito has Duel Monsters."

She turned and jumped when she turned to see InuTaisho already waiting for her at the door. He smirked at her expression.

Sakura moved passed him and opened the door. The two teens quickly went down the stairs. Sakura paused at the bottom and motioned for him to stay there. He nodded solemnly and she stepped out into the living room. Kaito was cleaning his Duel Disk in the far corner. She walked closer to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah, Sis? What's up?"

"Where's Gramma?" She asked, eyes flickering around the room.

Kaito shrugged and turned back to his Disk. "I think she's either out in the Shrine or shed. She said something about finding something."

Sakura sighed and straightened. "Thanks. I guess." She twisted and motioned for InuTaisho to follow her.

After Sakura put on some shoes, they stepped outside. She crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed the grounds.

"Hmm…I guess we should look in the shed first. Come on."

Sakura lead him around the back of her two stories home. Several buildings stood scattered around the large back yard. A small tool shed, a large storage shed, the Well House and, of course, the Kobayashi Shrine stood tall and proud in the center of the back grounds. Sakura glanced over her shoulder to where InuTaisho stood, staring at the Sacred Tree. Sakura turned and began to walk closer to it.

She paused before the small wooden fence built around it. About half way up the tree there was a place where some of the bark had been rubbed away. She reached her hand out and brushed her soft fingers across the rough bark. It was where InuTaisho had been pinned. She bit her lip.

The scar had always been there. She could remember when she was little and would look up at it. She would ask her mother who had hurt the tree. Her mother would smile and say that no one could hurt the Sacred Tree. The Sacred Tree was magical.

She jumped back into the present when she sensed InuTaisho beside her. He too was transfixed by the scar. Sakura chuckled breathlessly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I guess I know where the scar came from now."

InuTaisho looked down at her out of the corner of his eyes. She gulped. He looked…like a true yokai.

"We should find your Gramma." His voice was cold again.

Sakura shivered despite the warm breeze. She whipped around and quickly walked towards the storage shed.

She grunted as she pushed the heavy door aside. "Gramma!" She called, eyes adjusting to the dim light. She could hear someone moving around inside. She walked further in.

She tilted her head to the side when she spotted her grandmother in the back of the shed, trying to reach for a long rectangular box on the topmost shelf. Sakura sighed and walked up beside her, reaching up.

Gramma looked up in surprise. "Sakura."

Sakura grunted and reached higher, raising up on her tiptoes. "Why didn't you call me to help you?"

She looked down at the aged miko when she didn't answer. Her expression was serious as she looked up at the object. "I didn't want to raise any hopes until I knew it was out here."

Sakura's stance relaxed. "I can't reach it either. We've got to have a stool around here somewhere." She turned and yelped.

InuTaisho raised a dark eyebrow at her. "You're real easy to scare, girl."

Sakura crossed her arms. "Stop coming out of no where."

InuTaisho rolled his eyes and easily reached for the long box. He carefully pulled it down and set down on a nearby table. The three gathered around it.

"Well, Gramma. What is it?" Sakura asked as she reached to open the metal seal that held it closed.

Sakura pulled her hand back rapidly when Gramma gasped. InuTaisho and Sakura looked down at her. Her pale brown eyes were wide as they rested on the old box.

"Do not touch it. You do not have the power to break the barrier." Gramma stated.

Sakura cocked a brow. "What barrier?" She turned back to look at it. "It's just a box." She reached for it again; not at all surprised when she touched the rough wood. She traced the outlines of the markings. "Fushigi Ken?"

Using her fingers, she flipped up the metal seal. Air hissed out as the top slowly rose an inch. She grabbed it and heaved it off. The three stared down at what was inside.

It was a long wattou. It was clearly old. Its sheath was black with faded purple ribbons wrapped around the hilt. The hilt was bronze.

"The Fushigi Ken; the Wonder Sword. It has been passed down from generation to generation. The legends say that it was found in the Sakaki Well. It contains strong amounts of yokai power. You are the first one to have opened it in over a century, Sakura." Gramma's voice was full of wonder.

Sakura glanced at Gramma. "Gramma…"

Gramma looked up at InuTaisho. "InuTaisho. If you are going to collect the shards of the Shikon no Tetsu, you will need a sword. Being InuTaisho-sama's grandchild, you should be able to wield the Fushigi Ken."

InuTaisho looked down at the heirloom. Sakura and Gramma stepped to the side and watched as he stepped closer to the sword. He reached down for the sword. The two mikos watched in silence as the inu-hanyou's hand fisted around the upper sheath and he removed it from the dusty box. InuTaisho's other hand fisted around the hilt and he slowly unsheathed the sword. The two teens looked towards Gramma after InuTaisho unsheathed the seemingly normal wattou.

"It just looks like a normal sword, Gramma." Sakura stated.

Gramma nodded. "That's because InuTaisho doesn't know how to wield it," she looked out the window of the shed. "It's getting on in the afternoon. We should head out so we can get back before it gets dark."

With that, she turned and headed out of the shed. InuTaisho raised a brow at Sakura who shrugged. She ran after her grandmother. InuTaisho sighed and sheathed the sword in his obi before following the two women, grumbling.

**X**

A woman with faded brown hair pulled loosely back into a bun stood outside her home in Tokyo. She carefully swept dirt and dust from the front porch of her simple home. She looked up when she heard footsteps coming up the staircase that lead visitors from the road below to the home and shrine above. The woman leaned the broom against the porch railing when the visitors came into view.

She smiled when she recognized the familiar miko robes the eldest visitor wore. She bowed her head.

"Good evening and welcome to the Sunset Shrine," the woman greeted them.

The miko nodded in return. "Are you Higurashi-sama?"

The woman stepped off her porch and walked closer to the visitors. "I am. How may I help you?"

The miko glanced over her shoulder at the two teens with her. Higurashi-sama's breath caught when she finally looked at the boy. Her hand went to her throat as she looked at the memorable red robes and white hair. Her aged brown eyes lingered on the black ball cap atop his head.

"We have some questions about your daughter, Higurashi Kagome," the miko said quietly.

Higurashi-sama's eyes flickered back to the miko. "K-Kagome?"

The teenaged girl stepped closer to the boy and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Higurashi-sama, may we come in?"

Higurashi-sama nodded her head.

**X**

Higurashi-sama held her cup of tea tightly and looked down into the dark liquid. Sakura and Gramma sat across from her in the living room on the couch. InuTaisho sat on the floor; his hat hung on a hook by the door. Higurashi-sama drew in another shaky breath.

"Kagome…is dead?"

Sakura nodded her head slowly. "Yes, ma'am. I'm so sorry for you loss. However, InuTaisho and I are going to help InuYasha collect the shards of the Shikon no Tetsu to try to bring her back."

Higurashi-sama looked up slowly. "How is InuYasha? I remember how he acted that time Kagome got a cold. He went out and gathered plants and animals to make this horrible tea that his mother made from him. It was rather sweet. Then he helped her study for a test…" She swallowed and closed her eyes. "He must have taken it hard…"

Sakura glanced over at InuTaisho. His gazed was locked on Higurashi-sama. "Yeah, he took it hard." Sakura frowned at InuTaisho's response.

Higurashi-sama looked up at him. "You…InuTaisho, correct?" InuTaisho nodded. "You look like InuYasha. His hair, his eyes…even his robes…"

InuTaisho crossed his arms. "InuYasha is my father. Kagome is my mother."

Higurashi-sama's eyes lite up. "I'm a grandmother!" She exclaimed.

InuTaisho nodded. "Yeah. I have a sister too. Her name is Izayio. InuYasha and the others say she looks like Kagome, but I don't know. I've never seen Mother."

Higurashi-sama's face saddened again. "You've…never…seen…?"

Sakura placed a hand on InuTaisho's shoulder. "Kagome died during childbirth." She explained.

"Oh…" Higurashi-sama whispered.

Sakura licked her lips and coughed delicately. "Ma'am, I guess what we're here to ask is if there is anyway you could help us in the past. Did Kagome tell you how they found shards or anything?"

Higurashi-sama placed her teacup on a nearby table and leaned back in her chair. "Kagome didn't really talk much about her time there. When she was home, she mostly studied or complained about InuYasha. The only way she prepared to go back in front of us is when she would shop for food or cook."

Sakura leaned forward. "Could you tell me what she would take with her?"

Higurashi-sama's eyes flickered to the staircase that led upstairs. "She had packed a bag…" She looked back at Sakura. "Would you like to see her room? I've left it the way she did when she left. I go in there every so often and clean…just in case."

Sakura nodded and glanced at InuTaisho. "I would like to, ma'am. InuTaisho…"

InuTaisho stood, his bangs hiding his eyes, and folded his arms into his sleeves. "Feh. Why not?"

**X**

Sakura and InuTaisho watched over Higurashi-sama's shoulders as she led them to a door at the end of the hallway. The doorknob was covered with a pink, frilly handle cover. Higurashi-sama opened the door and they entered the simple room. She pointed to a pale yellow backpack in the corner of the room.

"When she was pulled back, she left her backpack. She went out and bought another one and kept it packed incase she ever got the chance to go back. Of course, when she was given the chance, it was one of those take it or leave it. She didn't have time to get anything." She turned to look at Sakura. "You can take it back with you. It may be of some help to see what she would take." She glanced around the room one last time. "I'll leave you two alone. Feel free to look around to see if you can find anything to help."

With that, she walked out of the room. Sakura waited for her to close the door before crossing to the pack. She kneeled before it and opened it. InuTaisho walked up behind her and watched as Sakura carefully pulled out the contents.

"Ramen, a first aid kit, candy, soda, chips, lighter, hair brush, a change of clothes, a flashlight…" She looked up at InuTaisho. "Just normal camping stuff."

InuTaisho shrugged. "Izayio told me when I was a pup that when she was pulled back, the jewel had been completed. She wouldn't need to pack jewel hunting stuff."

Sakura nodded and placed the contents back. "True." She stood and picked up the bag by one of its handles. "Maybe she had a journal or something."

InuTaisho watched as Sakura walked over to a desk and began opening drawers. As the seconds stretched out, he began to get bored of watching Sakura and began to look around the room himself. It felt weird searching the room of his dead mother, especially when it contained so many strange things, but he was just so curious. He stopped when he heard Sakura gasp. He whirled around, preparing to defend her. However, he relaxed when he saw she held a book similar to the one he had been looking at in her room. He walked closer and looked over her shoulder.

Sakura looked up at him. "It's her photo album."

InuTaisho moved closer to better see the photos. He bit back his gasp. Izayio did look like Mother. As Sakura flipped towards the end of the book, the photos became less of Kagome in her time and more of Kagome in the past. Below each picture, was a caption. Sakura read them aloud.

"Kagome and Sango. Sango and Miroku. Kagome and Miroku. Kagome and Shippou. Kagome, Sango, Kilala and Shippou. Sango and Kilala. Miroku, InuYasha, and Shippou. Kagome and InuYasha." Sakura looked up at InuTaisho. "I can make copies and we can take copies back to InuYasha and Saya."

InuTaisho nodded absentmindedly. Sakura came to the end of the book. She closed it and put it inside the backpack. "I'll ask Higurashi-sama if we can take this with us."

She looked up at InuTaisho, but he quickly looked away. Sakura's eyes widened. "InuTaisho, are you okay?"

"Feh. Why wouldn't I?" He snorted.

Sakura sighed and sat down on the edge of Kagome's bed. "It's kinda eerie, isn't it?"

"What?" InuTaisho asked.

Sakura held her arms. "Well, you look a lot like InuYasha. Saya looks like Sango. Kazue even looks similar to Miroku. We all have to work together to fix the jewel I broke. A jewel that came out of my body."

InuTaisho snorted. "You humans are so superstitious."

Sakura frowned and huffed. She then stood and continued searching again. InuTaisho retreated to the corner and watched her.

He didn't want to admit it, but that was exactly what he was thinking. He also didn't want to point out the fact that Sakura even looked kind of like Kagome, with her wide chocolate eyes, the tiny uniform she wore when they first met, the unruly, wavy hair…and the fact he felt protective of her. There was a saying that the past had ways of repeating itself. However, as he watched Sakura move around Kagome's room, he wished that this time, things ended differently.

* * *

Hmm...will it end differently this time? I know, but y'all don't! *Insert evil laughter.* Review!

~Azarath101


	11. Memories and Realizations

The long wait is over and you have been rewarded! 15 pages and over 6,000 words! Whoa! Just a warning that I didn't reread this chapter before posting it because I felt that is was perfect the way it was, so...sorry for any small errors. Also, kinda on a personal note, kagomethebeautifulmiko hasn't reviewed in quite a few chapters and I am honestly worried about them. If anyone knows why, please review or PM me why. I'd be much obligued.

I don't own InuYasha.

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Memories and Realizations**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Gramma gives InuTaisho a powerful sword that has been kept by the shrine. Afterwards, Gramma, InuTaisho, and Sakura journey to Tokyo and meet with Higurashi-sama, Kagome's mother and InuTaisho's grandmother. Higurashi-sama is given the news that Kagome died, however, she is thrilled to learn that she is now a grandmother. Higurashi-sama shows Sakura and InuTaisho Kagome's room and the two find things to help them with their own journey._

**X**

**Feudal Japan**

**3 Days Later**

InuYasha unleashed another attack on the advancing yokai. He swore when the beast easily dodged it. Saya and Kazue both leaped forward, throwing their own respective attacks at the creature. The group groaned when the attacks showed little affect. InuYasha rushed forward again, swinging his sword in a wide arch. Bright yellow light was thrown at the brown, hairy yokai and the inu-hanyou yelled out his trademark "Awright!" when it struck the mark.

Out of habit, his golden eyes roamed around the clearing, searching for his human companions. They were off the side preparing their next attacks. InuYasha tried to push back his longing to check on a certain futuristic miko. He growled when he saw yet another specter of his long dead mate.

_'Soon, Kagome. Soon.'_ He swore to himself.

His attention was recaptured when the yokai let out an angry roar and the battle resumed on.

InuYasha wondered fleetingly how much longer it would take InuTaisho and Sakura to return from the future. He had never realized what an advantage it was to have Kagome's ability to detect the jewel shards. Kazue was able to throw out ideas of the whereabouts of the shard, but "somewhere around the chest" was not much help when the yokai was nearly the size of Sesshomaru's true form.

InuYasha's hold on the Tetsusaiga tightened when he thought of how Izayio would be able to see the shards. He snarled and jumped forward with renewed vigor to attack. His swings appeared to be wild to an outsider, but an insider would be able to see the signature anger and determination in the wild attacks. InuYasha visualized the yokai as Kiba and at long last, he was able to defeat the yokai. InuYasha panted as he snatched up the slightly tainted shard and glanced at Kazue. Kazue nodded and came forward.

Though Kazue was no where near Kagome or Kikyo's level, he was able to contain the impurity of the shards they had collected –this being the second since Sakura and InuTaisho had departed- until Akira could purify the shard completely.

Kazue murmured a small prayer and Saya and InuYasha watched as the shard's dark aura was dissolved. Kazue looked back up at his friends. Deciding who should hold the shard was always an awkward part of their journey. Saya always insisted she did not want to hold them as she was merely a yokai slayer and had no special powers. InuYasha never answered, so it was always down to Kazue.

The monk sighed. "Well, as I held the shard last time, it seems only fair that you should hold it until we arrive at the village. Do you think you can handle it?"

InuYasha's golden eyes flickered down to the shard Kazue held between his fingers. His gaze returned to the monk's and then back to the jewel. He tentatively reached for it. He could not recall a time where Kagome had allowed him to take possession of the jewel except when they were trapped in that yokai's belly and he needed the shard to free them. InuYasha frowned slightly at the memory of how he had needed Kagome to hold him up because his yokai side had nearly taken over. InuYasha's hand paused. Would he be able to hold the jewel until they made it back to Akira's village?

Saya and Kazue watched him curiously. Kazue raised an eyebrow. "InuYasha?"

InuYasha looked back up at Kazue. "Feh. Just hold the shard until we get back to the village. Even though Kagome isn't here, I can still hear her nagging at me." InuYasha dropped his hand and turned away from them, folding his arms into his sleeves.

Kazue and Saya eyed each other. Kazue slipped the shard into his own sleeve. "Very well, InuYasha."

Now having defeated the yokai and collecting the shard, the small group traveled back to the village the yokai had been terrorizing to inform the headman. After Kazue had collected the reward, they began their travel back to Chiyoda. Kazue and Saya bantered back and forth playfully most of the way, with the occasional comment from InuYasha. Eventually, the humans became quiet as it grew darker. Saya looked up at the darkening sky.

"It should be a half moon tomorrow night," she observed.

InuYasha paused and looked up towards the sky. He carefully looked at the waxing moon. _'Saya is right. That means InuTaisho should be human tomorrow night. Meaning…they should be back in two days.' _

Noticing that he had stopped, his companions turned and looked back at him. Saya called back to him. InuYasha shook himself back into the current moment and jogged to catch up.

Kazue smirked. "What's the matter InuYasha? Are you staring up at the moon, thinking about Kaguya-Hime?" He joked, not realizing that the inu-hanyou had actually met the moon princess.

InuYasha's brow twitched. For a moment, he felt like he was back in the past with his perverted monk friend, Miroku. "Feh, believe me, no thoughts of that wench bring me any joy, monk."

Kazue backtracked. "You mean to tell us, that you have met the beautiful, mythical Tenyo?"

InuYasha nodded and scoffed. "Don't look so jealous. She really ain't worth making a big deal about," he paused and shrugged. "In the end, Miroku got a nasty slap from Sango, though."

Saya perked up. "Oh! It's getting rather late. Perhaps we should set up camp and, maybe, you could tell us the story of your adventure."

InuYasha looked down at the young yokai slayer and shrugged. "Why not? You humans seem to love stories."

Saya smiled widely and beamed up at him. "Oh, thank you, InuYasha-sama."

As three went their own ways to begin setting up camp for the night, InuYasha rolled his eyes at the formality.

**X**

Aya closed her eyes and murmured a quiet spell. When she opened her eyes again, they were no longer dark, but lighter. Izayio blinked her eyes. She was surprised to suddenly be given back control of her body. She didn't know how much longer she would have control, so she quickly stood and moved to the window of the small room she was in. She looked out and saw a courtyard. She must be staying in a temple.

Feeling something cold and hard in her fisted hand, she looked down and opened her hand. In her palm was a darkened jewel fragment. Judging by the size of the large fragment, she guessed that Aya had collected and fused together at least three shards. Realization dawned on her. Aya wanted her to purify the jewel. Izayio examined it closer and noticed the darkness with in the jewel.

Her caramel eyes widened and she gasped. How could Aya, her other half, have darkness inside her; how could _she _have darkness inside _herself_. Izayio let out a sob and went to work to quickly purify the jewel.

Tears escaped her eyes as she watched the jewel slowly return to its beautiful, pure form. She clutched it to her heart. She knew Aya had done terrible things, but she had never realized how terrible until she had seen the tainted jewel.

From stories Kagome had told her, the jewel was as tainted as the Shikon no Tama while it was in Naraku's possession. She was no better than Naraku.

Izayio returned to the corner of the room that her futon was in and slid down the wall in utter depression. She pulled her knees up to under her chin and allowed her tears to fall without stopping. She sniffled and looked out at the waxing moon. She barked a laugh at how it reminded her of the night, nearly fifty years ago, she learned of Aya's plan to kill Momoko.

And she did nothing to stop her.

Izayio allowed her eyes to slide close and sleep to overcome her as the memory began to replay itself. She snorted before falling into a deep sleep. She was no better than Aya.

_**X**_

_**50 Years Ago**_

_Izayio quieted her approach as she sensed InuTaisho and Momoko-chan in the clearing ahead of her. She hid behind a tree and listened to their exchange. _

_Momoko-chan held the Shikon no Tetsu before her. "InuTaisho, according to the legends, your Father, InuYasha, was offered the chance to become human. It is unclear if he refused or if killed the miko. Either way, he did not become human." Momoko looked down, her bangs casting her chocolate eyes into shadow. The miko seemed to glow in the scant light from the nearly half moon. _

_Momoko looked back up, into InuTaisho's eyes. "What I came to ask you, InuTaisho, is if you would use the jewel to wish yourself human. It would be a pure wish and the jewel would cease to exist."_

_Izayio watched as her little brother reached his hand out to cup Momoko's face. Anger flashed in Izayio's eyes. How could she be so selfish? Asking InuTaisho to become a mere mortal?_

"_If the jewel is gone, what will you do?" InuTaisho asked her._

_Momoko cupped her hand over his and held his hand closer to her face. "Well, the jewel will cease to exist. My…purpose is to protect the jewel. If it no longer exists, then I can be a normal human woman."_

_Izayio's nostrils flared. She was asking InuTaisho to wish on the jewel so _she _could be normal. InuTaisho pulled Momoko into his arms and embraced her. He rested his head atop hers._

"_Meet me here tomorrow afternoon at sunset," he murmured._

_Izayio bit back her gasp as she watched the two young lovers separate and go there own ways. Izayio realized what InuTaisho was going to do. Not only was he going to go through with the irrational idea to become fully human, he would make the wish on the one night he would be human. It would, without a doubt, be a pure wish in that single moment._

'We could change that, Izayio,' _a voice whispered in her head._

_Izayio nodded to herself. _'Yes, Aya, I know. What should we do? InuTaisho is blinded by his love for the miko. He would never really wish to become human. He has always hated his monthly change.'

_Aya giggled darkly. _'Remember when I killed Moriko? I absorbed her miko powers also. I can easily disguise us as InuTaisho. We'll go to Momoko and tell her we want to meet in the morning. And then, we go to InuTaisho as Momoko, we tell him we want to meet around midmorning…'

_Izayio faded away into their subconscious as Aya took control of their body. As the night wore on, Aya's plans became solidified. _

_**xSkip Forwardx**_

_Izayio blinked her eyes as she returned back to her body. She gasped when she heard Momoko cry out._

_"InuTaisho!"_

_Izayio ran through the forest to the clearing. Even with her minimal yokai powers, she still panted as she pushed aside branches and jumped over underbrush. She came to a screeching halt when she spotted InuTaisho and Momoko through the last of the trees. _

_InuTaisho turned in midair towards the person who called his name. Momoko stood out against the burning village behind her. Her bow was arched and ready. With a flick of her dainty wrist, she sent her enchanted arrow flying towards him._

_With a gasp, InuTaisho flew back against the tree behind him. The jewel in his hand flew to the ground with a quiet tinkering. His now empty hand went to his chest were an arrow stuck out._

_"Momoko…why?" _

_Izayio ran out from the woods. When she spotted her brother, she cried out in defiance. She had never meant for InuTaisho to be harmed. Father had wanted her to watch out for her little brother. She arched her own bow, but quickly lowered it when the villagers began to yell out._

_"It's the sister!"_

_"She comes to avenge InuTaisho!"_

_Izayio snarled and turned, quickly darting back into the woods. She was too late._

_"After her!"_

_She pushed her body as hard as she could. Her lungs screamed for more air as the shouts and flames began to fade away._

'Aya! It wasn't supposed to be this way! Aya!' _She received no answer._

'It wasn't supposed to end this way!'

**X**

**Present Day Japan, That Morning**

InuTaisho jerked awake. He was alert and his heart thundered in his chest. He looked down beside him and let out a small sigh. Sakura mumbled something in her sleep and turned onto her other side.

_'It was just a dream…'_ His hand went to his chest where until about a week ago, an enchanted arrow had been pierced. He pushed aside his robes and looked at the faint scar. Not much scarred a hanyou –or a yokai-, but a wound from Momoko's arrow would leave a scar.

He sighed and carefully stood from Sakura's bed. He ran a clawed hand through his silver hair. He had dreamed about the day Momoko had killed him. He looked back down at the slumbering reincarnation.

_'How did things end this way?' _

The inu-hanyou's gaze flickered out the open window. Cool morning air danced with Sakura's pink curtains. He gazed around the room. It was not much different from that of his mother's. His stare fixed on her bookshelf where she had jammed her photo album. Looking over his shoulder, he checked to make sure she was still asleep before darting to the shelf. He quietly removed the book and flipped it open.

He did not want to think about his past right now. Instead, he would look back at Sakura's. Maybe find why exactly she had hidden the book from him in the first place. He quickly skimmed through the beginning until he was back to where he had left off. He was about to turn the page when a piercing ringing noise sounded through the room.

InuTaisho quickly went into defense mood. He shoved the book back in its place and whipped around. His eyes darted around until they rested on what Sakura had called an 'alarm clock.' Realizing there was no danger, he relaxed.

Sakura groaned and her hand shot out from under her covers and she began to smack the thing until it stopped. She laid there for a moment before patting the spot where he had been moments before.

"Inu…InuTaisho?" She mumbled groggily. She sat up and yawned. InuTaisho chuckled at the way she closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose to do so. She then blinked and looked over at him.

She smiled sleepily. "Good morning, InuTaisho."

InuTaisho stood in silence as she proceeded to get out of the bed and then make it. "Okay, Papa and the others won't be back until tomorrow. I'm going to go to school and then go to the store to pick up some stuff I forgot."

Sakura's father had left –rather reluctant to leave Sakura and InuTaisho alone together- for a business trip the day before. Gramma had to go to some miko purification thing. And Kaito had been sent to a friend's. Though, InuTaisho thought Gramma had sent the boy away to give them some privacy, not because they 'didn't know when they might need to rush back to the other side.'

InuTaisho blushed lightly. However, it wasn't like they had _done _anything. The only reason he was sleeping in her bed was because Sakura had said it was pointless for him to sleep on the floor, especially when he only needed a few hours of sleep.

Sakura moved to her closet and pulled out her school uniform. "You're going to be alone today. I guess you can just chill," she turned to face him. "Do you think you can stay out of trouble?"

"Feh," he scoffed. "I can take care of myself."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just…stay in the house and out of trouble. I'll call you when I get out of school to check in." She raised a brow. "I guess I need to show you how to use a phone." She moved to her desk and picked up a black, small, square object. She pressed a button and it made a ringing nose similar to the alarm clock. "When this makes this nose, _gently_ press this button."

InuTaisho watched as she showed him how to work the strange object. "I'll call you from Cherushii's cell." She glanced down at the phone and gasped. "Oh crap! I'm running late!" She tossed her cellular phone on the bed and grabbed her uniform.

InuTaisho moved aside as she rushed passed him and into the bathroom. She came out a few minutes later in her uniform, running a brush through her hair. She tossed her brush onto her bed next to the phone and then grabbed her pink backpack. She shouldered it and looked up at him.

"Remember what I told you?" She asked.

InuTaisho rolled his eyes. "Damn, girl. You ain't my mother."

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes too. "I'll be back later tonight."

With that, she left them. For lack of anything else to do, InuTaisho followed her down the stairs and watched her leave from the front room. He sighed. He had a whole day ahead of him and nothing to do. Then he remembered: Sakura's photo album. InuTaisho smirked and dashed back up to her room.

**X**

Sakura sighed as the final bell of the day rang. She gathered her books and then walked around her desk to her friend, Cherushii. Sakura tapped her friend on the shoulder and the girl looked up from her own books.

"Hey, lady." Cherushii greeted.

Sakura smiled at the familiar greeting. "Hey, Cherushii. Can I borrow your cell? I left my at home and I need to call some one."

Cherushii smiled. "Sure." The girl reached into her black purse and pulled out her phone and handed it to Sakura.

Sakura smiled as she flipped it open. "Arigatou, Cherushii." As she dialed her own number, she motioned to Cherushii that she would be outside the classroom. Her friend nodded and continued to pack up her own things.

In the hall, Sakura put the phone to her ear. It rang and went to voice mail. She frowned. Maybe InuTaisho hadn't heard it. She tried again. Still no answer. She dialed again as Cherushii joined her in the hall. Sakura began to worry when he did not answer yet again. She snapped the phone closed and handed it back to her friend.

"Everything okay?" Cherushii asked; concern shone in her caramel eyes.

Sakura chewed her lip. "I don't know. I've got to go. I'll see you later, Cherushii!" She turned on her heels and ran down the hallway, swerving around students going the opposite way she was.

**X**

Sakura bounded up the stairs that would lead her to her home and the shrine. She panted as she reached the top. Once she was in sight of the house, she ran as fast as she could. She pushed aside the front screen and panted.

"Inu…InuTaisho!" She panted harder as she tried to catch her breath and calm her racing heart.

She heard a faint growling noise in the front room. She dropped her bag and ran around the corner.

"InuTaisho!" She called.

The inu-hanyou looked up. "What?"

Sakura blinked. InuTaisho sat in the floor with Byakko. He looked up in shock.

"What's wrong?" He asked, puzzled.

Byakko meowed loudly. InuTaisho looked back down at the cat and resumed playing with it. Sakura blinked her eyes. She walked closer and sat down in front of the two. InuTaisho looked up at her again.

"Well, I guess I know why you didn't answer the phone," Sakura mumbled.

InuTaisho scratched his head. "I thought I heard something ringing. I guess I forgot."

Sakura sighed. "You're impossible. And to think I came running all the way home because I thought something was wrong! I should have known!" She huffed and then crossed her arms over her chest.

InuTaisho looked up at her through his long bangs. "You were worried about me?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Of course, InuTaisho. I mean, I could understand not answering the first time. But, three? I thought you were hurt or something."

InuTaisho blinked his eyes. He wasn't used to someone actually worrying about him. Izayio merely scolded him for his stupidity as a child and then went on. No one had cared for him since the time Izo –yes, he could still remember the wench's name- had called him a half-breed. Of course, Asako had decked the little bastard. That memory caused a small smile to come to InuTaisho's face. Even without a mother, and then a father, most of his childhood had been pretty good thanks to his human friends; Sango, Miroku, and their children. Even Shippou and Myoga had been nice to him when they had stopped by, even though they were fully yokai.

Sakura raised a brow. "What are you smiling at, InuTaisho?"

InuTaisho shook himself into the present and whipped the smile from his face. "Feh, nothing." He searched his mind for something –anything- to keep the conversation off of him. "You didn't tell me you had a sister."

Sakura froze and all of the color drained from her face. "What?" She breathed through still lips.

"In your picture book. There were all these photos of you and another girl. One of the captions read that she was your sister." InuTaisho clarified.

Sakura felt as if she would drown under the title wave of emotions that flooded through her. She chose to settle on anger. "You Baka! You went through my photo album after I told you to leave it alone! What? Did you also go through my diary?"

InuTaisho blinked his eyes in confusion before anger colored his own aura. "Well, ya didn't say I couldn't look at it today, wench!"

Sakura jumped to her feet. Byakko jumped out of InuTaisho's lap and ran away and the inu-hanyou was soon on his feet.

"Well, if you must know! Yes, I had a twin sister! She was sick as a child and one day she died. Mama was never the same after giving birth to us but she still insisted on having another child to make up for Akako. She died giving birth to Kaito. He thinks it's his fault, but it's really mine! If I hadn't of been so damn depressed after loosing my twin, then she wouldn't have felt the need to have another child. There, happy now?"

InuTaisho stood frozen. Suddenly what she had said a few days ago made sense.

_"'Cause if I spend too much time focusing on my past here, it'll give me a reason to stay. The only reason I truly have, I'm learning, is my brother. Kaito was messed up pretty bad by my disappearance. Father hasn't been the same since Momma died. And Gramma has her miko duties…I have…well, nothing."_

InuTaisho could understand that. Izayio was all he had for the longest time. He could bet that she had been 'messed up pretty bad' over his death. When he saw the tears and pain in her eyes, he moved closer to her. However, she held up her hands and shook her head.

"No…I'm going to the store. I'll be back later." She turned on her heel and ran out and the room. InuTaisho stood there in silence until he heard the screen slam closed.

His inu-ears fell down. "I'm…sorry."

**X**

An hour later, Sakura found herself walking aimlessly through the grocery store near her home. She sighed as she realized she had over reacted. She reached into her purse for her list and cursed when she remembered she had left it on her desk that morning. Deciding she had wasted enough time, she left the store.

It had grown cold and dark since she had entered the storm. She didn't have a jacket. She shivered and rubbed her arms to try to warm herself. She looked up at the sky and sighed again. It was about to rain.

She started home. Not many people where out as it was after rush hour. She was practically alone on the dark sidewalk. She began to leave the area that contained all of the businesses and was on a stretch of town that was full of run down businesses and low income apartments.

She clutched her purse a little tighter to herself. She glanced at a dark alley drawing near and she bit her lip. She felt a creepy aura coming from it. She swallowed and it took all of her will power to not run at full burst home. As she passed the alley, she saw a group of three dirty looking men inside. They watched her like animals. She walked faster.

She cursed herself. She should have not run out like she did. She should have excused herself, like a lady, and quietly let out her emotions at the memories she kept repressed and then asked InuTaisho to come with her. That made her scoff; she was being a weak girl. Wanting to rely on- She heard footsteps behind her. She risked a glance and gasped quietly. They were following her. She was alone. It was night. This was the bad part of town. And she had nothing to defend herself with.

She walked faster. She could almost see the street corner that her house was on. She let out a sigh that quickly turned into a muffled scream when someone grabbed her from behind.

**X**

Rain began to fall. InuTaisho looked out the window at the heavy storm. He thought that Sakura would have been back by now. Maybe something was wrong?

Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a faint sense of wrongness flooded his body. His heart began to speed up.

Before he knew what he was doing, he bounded out of the house. He cursed his luck that it was raining so hard because it diminished his ability to smell, hear, and slightly see as well in the dark. He was soaked within seconds, but he still ran as fast as if he were dry, not held back by the dampness of his clothing.

When he got to the bottom of the large staircase, he was unsure of which way to go next. He smelt and cursed. Sakura's scent had already been washed away.

**X**

The tall man that seemed to be the leader threw Sakura down on the ground. He commanded the other two to hold her down as he patted his pockets, looking for something. Rain smacked Sakura hard in the face. Once she realized that her mouth was free she cried out, "InuTaisho!"

The short, fat man on her left smacked her in the face. Her head banged back on the hard, cement ground. Darkness danced in front of her eyes.

She could barely see that the leader had found what he was looking for. He motioned for the other men to hold her face and then he shoved a waded piece of cloth in her mouth. She choked on the dirty gag.

She tried to kick at the man with her legs but the man that had been on her right moved to her legs. Now, one man held her arms, one her legs, and one straddled her. The men laughed at the pure fear and terror on her face.

She closed her eyes tight when the man straddling her began to unbutton her blouse. She raked her mind for something to help her. Her eyes snapped open when she thought of her miko powers. If they could repel yokai, surely they would work on lowly men?

Sakura focused her energy on the man holding her hands. She was rewarded with a small cry of pain from him. He released her wrists. Blinded by her small freedom, her hands went to her mouth to remove the gag.

"Baka! Get hold of her!"

"She burnt me!"

"Hold her!"

Before she could do much else, her hands were recaptured more tightly. The man straddling her had finished with her blouse, exposing her nearly naked torso to the cold and rainy night air.

Sakura began to scream. It was all she had left.

**X**

Sakura's screams grew louder as InuTaisho rounded the corner and entered the dark alley. He was truly sickened by the sight before him. Sakura lay on the ground held down by three men, attempting to rape her. Anger surged through him and he lunged as his eyes turned blood red and the stripes on his face became darker and larger.

He pulled the man on her feet off of her and threw him into the wall. He attempted to stand up to fight, but when the mortal saw the yokai before him, he yelped and ran off screaming.

The man holding Sakura's hands took one look and ran off as well. The man straddling her waist turned his head and jumped off of her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a weapon that InuTaisho had never seen before. The man pointed it at him and a loud boom rang out. A small projectile came from the weapon and InuTaisho easily dodged it by leaning to the side.

In a blink of an eye, InuTaisho stood before the man. InuTaisho ripped the weapon from his hands, crushed it, and threw it the ground. He then picked the man up by his throat and held him up against the wall. He growled threateningly.

"I'm sorry, man! Just let me go! Please!" The pathetic man begged.

InuTaisho snarled. Behind him, he heard Sakura shakingly stand. He did not turn to look at her, in case the man found an opportunity to free himself. She slowly walked to InuTaisho's side and placed a gentle, yet shaking, hand on his shoulder. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She didn't seem to be scared by his yokai form.

"He's learned his lesson, InuTaisho. Let him go." She whispered.

InuTaisho was stunned. She wanted him to let this…animal go free? This creature was about to do Kami knows what to her and she was willing to let him go? His hand unconsciously tightened and the man wheezed out a cough. Sakura drew closer to InuTaisho.

"Please…I don't think he'll ever hurt anyone else. And, he knows I can go to the police if need be."

The man attempted to nod his head. InuTaisho looked back at him and then roughly dropped him to the ground after a moment. The man coughed and then scampered away. InuTaisho turned fully to Sakura.

He cupped her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed in his arms. Her head injury and trauma had finally taken its toll.

**X**

Sakura felt warm, dry and safe. She breathed in deeply and rolled over in her bed. Then she froze. Her eyes flew open. She was…in her bed. She shot up and looked around her. She was back in her room. She was safe. She began to let out a sigh that quickly turned into a scream when she noticed she was only wearing her undergarments.

Her door flew open and InuTaisho stormed in yelling, "What's wrong!"

She screamed again. "Stay!" As InuTaisho was thrown to the ground, Sakura pulled her blanket up and around herself.

InuTaisho looked up at her from the ground and frowned. "So, this is the thanks I get for saving you?"

Sakura blinked as the events of the night came back to her. "I'll thank you as soon as you tell me what happened to my clothes."

InuTaisho sat up slowly. "I took 'em off to help you dry off faster. They were soaked." He looked up with wide eyes and held up in hands. "I didn't look at ya!"

Sakura looked down at her lap and smiled. Of course, that made sense. "Thank you…InuTaisho." She slowly looked back up at him.

He had folded his arms into his sleeves. "Feh, whatever. I couldn't have you being defiled or whatever. Your miko powers wouldn't work and we need them."

Sakura frowned. "Sex would not have 'defiled' my miko powers. True, _that _might have, but sex out of love wouldn't. It was something Gramma added in the whole 'birds and the bees' speech when I hit puberty," she added at the end at his look of puzzlement.

They both looked away from each other in the awkward moment that followed. After a while, InuTaisho spoke again. "I'm sorry for looking in your album," he mumbled.

Sakura looked up at him. "Yeah, well, curiosity killed the cat…or rather…dog."

InuTaisho frowned at the pun. "Oh, like I haven't heard _that _one before."

Sakura slowly stood from the bed, making sure she was wrapped in her blanket. She slowly walked up to him. They gazed into each other's eyes. "I'm sure you've heard a lot of them before. Some worse than others," she whispered.

InuTaisho didn't look away, though he wanted to. He didn't like emotional, serious discussions. "Yeah…But, I'm used to it. Don't worry about it."

Sakura's eyes threatened to spill tears. She felt so sorry for him. Sure he was rough around the edges, but once you got to know him, he wasn't so bad. Why would anyone treat him so poorly? She wondered if Izayio had also been treated poorly. And InuYasha. Had Kagome been ridiculed for mating with InuYasha and baring his children?

She moved closer and wrapped his arms around him slowly, drawing him into a hug. InuTaisho stiffened, but after a time, he slowly placed his arms around her, returning it.

"I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to hurt and feel pain. You didn't deserve any of it."

InuTaisho moved his face closer to her damp hair and breathed in. She smelt of cherry blossoms. How could he have ever confused her for Momoko?

"You don't deserve it either…" He said, out of lack of anything else to say.

Sakura chuckled and slowly pulled away. She was startled when she felt the need to continue hugging him. She looked up into his amber eyes. What was it about this boy that made her act more grown up? That made her feel…complete? She hadn't felt whole since the day Akako died, and then, as soon as he came into her life, she hadn't been depressed. She hadn't felt the need to focus on unimportant things to hide the pain. And when he hurt, she hurt. When he had told her to leave, she had felt crushed. And surely had felt it too as he had arrived in the alley in the nick of time.

A blush painted her cheeks. Was this love? Was she in love with InuTaisho?

When he grabbed her face and pressed his lips against hers, she knew her answer. Yes, she was in love with InuTaisho.

* * *

Half of you are going "they are moving too fast!" while the other half are going "aww! fluff!" Well...sorry Team Relationships Take Time. Ever read Twilight? They moved mighty fast in that too...(Team Edward!) Review!

~Azarath101


	12. Human

This chapter has a lot of fluff and angst in it. I'm kinda glad it's over because I felt like I was writing a smut book while doing this. I'm so glad that I can go back to actiony goodness with a side of romantic plot next chapter.

I don't own InuYasha.

**AN: **For those that don't know it, "aisuru" means lover or beloved. I just thought it would sound…odd for…well, I don't want to spoil! I thought it just sounded better than saying "lover."

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Human**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_InuYasha, Saya, and Kazue take possession of another shard. It is learned how Momoko and InuTaisho were pitted against each other. InuTaisho and Sakura have been left alone in the present. After fighting, Sakura runs off and is attacked and then saved by InuTaisho. InuTaisho and Sakura fluff._

**X**

Sakura sighed blissfully and rolled onto her side. She felt something warm and hard beside her and smiled when she felt its arms wrap around her waist protectively. She tilted her head back and looked up into a pair of golden eyes and blushed as the memory of the night before came back to her. Her blush deepened.

InuTaisho chuckled and used a claw to gently push a strand of hair out of Sakura's face.

"Was last night…did we really…?" Sakura whispered.

InuTaisho nodded. "Yeah," his hand stilled on her head. "You don't…regret it do you?"

Sakura shook her head. "Never."

InuTaisho grinned. "Good." He then became serious. "You won't go to school today will you? You hit your head pretty hard. You should rest because we leave in the morning."

Sakura looked down. "Well…I guess one extra sick day wouldn't hurt anything. And…you're right." Sakura's mood darkened. She was so weak. She was always getting hurt and attacked. She had just gotten over her injuries sustained in the past and she had gone and gotten attacked. Though…if she had never gotten attacked, InuTaisho would not have needed to save her, and then one thing wouldn't have led to another…

InuTaisho could sense her conflicted feelings. He tensed in response. Sakura looked back up at him with wide eyes. She had a feeling it was time to change the conversation.

"I didn't get to shop yesterday because I left my list here. Maybe we can go tonight? When you're human? We can finish packing today and Gramma and the others will be home soon."

InuTaisho nodded his head and then flung the covers off of himself before standing up and getting dressed. Sakura pulled the covers tighter around her chest as she sat up. Embarrassed, she looked at the opposite wall, unsure of what to do next.

InuTaisho did not look back at her until he was tying the cords of his suikan. Feeling his gaze on her, Sakura looked up at him and blush lightly. Sensing her anxiety, InuTaisho went to the bed and kneeled beside it, taking her face in his hands.

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

The miko blushed deeper. "Look, I'm not one for one night stands. What does that make us? I thought you still loved Momoko? And we're from different times! What if I get pregnant? I'm only fifteen for Kami's sake! I can't raise a baby! And Papa will kill me! I'm not-" InuTaisho placed a finger on her lips and silenced her. Sakura's eyes widened.

"For now, it makes us… aisurus, as you humans would say. Yes, there was a time when I did love Momoko, but she is dead now. And, as for the rest of your concerns, we'll worry about that when and if the need arises. Now, get up and get dressed. We have to prepare to leave tomorrow. I'm not going to let InuYasha gather all the shards without me." InuTaisho calmly explained before smirking.

Sakura blinked. That had probably been the longest speech she had ever heard InuTaisho say. However…the thought of having an _aisuru_ make her grin. She was only fifteen and was having a steamy love tryst. Just thinking about last night made her feel tingly and tense inside.

InuTaisho growled playfully. "If you don't control yourself, Sakura, I'll jump you here and now."

Sakura grinned and a spark lit in her eyes. "Oh, really? I'd love to see you try."

InuTaisho growled deeply and propelled himself back onto the bed. Sakura's squeals filled the room.

**X**

Sakura emerged from the bathroom feeling fresh. She tried not to dwell on the thought that that could have been her last shower for quite some time. As she walked back to her room, she pulled her thick hair into a ponytail. InuTaisho sat on her pink carpeted floor and was gazing again at the copies of the photos taken from Kagome's room. (Only after Higurashi-sama had said it was perfectly alright.) Sakura had taken them to the local pharmacy and had made enough copies for InuTaisho, InuYasha, Saya, and Shippou. However, the only one InuTaisho wanted was the one of his parents.

The inu-hanyou looked up at her and smiled. "Hey, Koi."

Sakura blushed. She was unused to InuTaisho's sudden terms of endearment. She supposed it was due to the fact that, if he had been human, he would have already been married in his time. Sakura's blush paled as she realized that if she had been from his time, _she _would have already been married off as well. Probably not even to someone she even loved. Probably to whoever Papa wanted her to marry.

She yanked hard on her ponytail to distract herself. "Okay. We need to put those back in the envelope. Then, we can inventory our supplies. We mainly need food, camping supplies, and medical supplies. Thanks to Kagome's bag, we have a good supply already."

InuTaisho nodded and the two set to work gathering and packing supplies. As they worked, InuTaisho periodically glanced over at the teenaged girl. Everything he had said had been true. He had loved Momoko. At one time. Enough to give up his treasured yokai powers just to be with her. However, he would have never thought of such a thing if she had never asked it of him. Sakura had never asked him to change. She had accepted him. Would that change though? Tonight when she saw his human half? He paused and his hand fisted on the package of bandages in his hand. Would she regret making love to him –twice- when she saw his human side? Would she ask him to find a way to stay human? She had already asked him to refrain from turning fully yokai, but that was because, when it came down to it, it was his silly desire or his mother's life. He was selfish, but not that selfish.

Sakura looked over her shoulder at him. She raised a slender brow. "InuTaisho? Is something wrong?"

InuTaisho handed her the crushed box silently. Yes, something was wrong. There were so many "what ifs" in their new found relationship. How had his own parents found a happy medium?

Sakura slowly reached for the box and when their fingers brushed, an electric charge rushed through their bodies and tingled their spines. Gold and chocolate brown gazes met.

"InuTaisho?" Sakura whispered.

InuTaisho didn't answer. He merely continued to stare into her eyes. There were so many differences between her and Momoko. From nearly the beginning, she had been with him. Yes, she had whined to go home, but when the occasion called for it, she stuck by his side and fought. Momoko, on the other hand, had tried to shove him off. She hadn't really wanted anything to do with him. Yet, he had fallen madly in love with the human miko. Why? Was it because she was the first woman to ever treat him some what like an equal that he wasn't related to or had some connection to through his parents?

Sakura moved closer, worry coloring her aura. "InuTaisho? What's wrong?" The package of bandages fell to the floor, forgotten, when her tiny hands fisted on his suikan. "InuTaisho?"

Suddenly, InuTaisho was no longer standing in Sakura's bedroom; he was back in the past. Back to the day Momoko had come to him. She had wanted to change the time of which he was to wish to become mortal. Why had she wanted to change the time? Had she been _that _eager to kill him?

"Why, Momoko?" He whispered. He reached out and grabbed the miko before him, not caring when she cried out from him claws scratching her soft shoulders.

Their relationship had been like a game of cat and mouse. He had been chasing her to seek out the Shikon no Tetsu. She never took the final blow. But, why? Was it merely just because it was something to do to pass the time? She had never wanted much to do with him unless she needed assistance in slaying some yokai or the other.

The miko before him called out his name again. His grip tightened. He was blinded to the sights before him as the memory of Momoko's arrow piercing his chest played out in his mind's eye. The look of hate that had burned in her eyes…the same eyes that just a few short hours before had burned with such love and passion. The eyes…that now burned with pain and tears.

He hastily released Sakura when he suddenly collected his bearings. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked up at him. She didn't even glance at the injuries he had inflicted on her. She was more worried for _him_…the one who had hurt _her_.

The room began to spin around InuTaisho. Why had Momoko suddenly turned on him? That had been the question he had always asked himself. Perhaps, it was the wrong question. Perhaps he had been right that one time in asking: _"Why do you never make the final shot?"_

She had had multiple chances to finish him off, yet she didn't. All she had accomplished by not doing so was making Izayio mad at having to constantly repair his Robes of the Fire Rat.

Then…something had changed. She had let him in. She had confided in him her dreams. She had wanted to be normal. To be _human._ Then, she had asked him to become human. Then, when he had arrived to make the damned wish, she had tried to kill him. After months of toying, she had let him in. He had let her in. Then…she had thrown it in his face. That's what had caused him to backtrack and head back to the village to steal the jewel. To Hell with being human, he would be yokai at long last. Then…she had shown up, covered in blood, from Kami knew where or what, and had pinned him to the Sacred Tree.

Had that been her plan all along? To…seduce him into trusting –into _loving_- her and then pinning him to a tree in a type of half-death. Did she not respect him enough to fully kill him after that? Did the half-breed only deserve a half-death? He growled savagely. Thank the Gods she had died. If he had woken up and had seen her, he would have killed her on-

A tiny yelp made him look down. Fear colored Sakura's aura now. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"InuTaisho…are you okay?"

But, he _had _seen her. He had seen her reincarnation. And he had not felt the need to kill her. He had fallen easily back into their game of bantering. InuTaisho looked hard into Sakura's eyes.

Sakura was Momoko's reincarnation…Was he just setting himself up for more pain further down the road? Was it safe to trust this girl?

Sakura's chest heaved as she tried to hold her tears back. She threw her arms around him and held onto him tightly. "InuTaisho!" She sobbed. "You're scaring me! What's wrong?"

The smell of her tears…She was crying for him. Tears and blood. Those had been the last scents he had smelt from Momoko. But, why would Momoko cry if she had been planning on killing him from the beginning? Had she fallen in love with him too? Impossible. If Momoko had loved him, then she would not have sealed him to the tree. But, why was she crying? Had her wounds hurt that much?

InuTaisho's head began to swim as the smell of Sakura's blood became more profound to his sensitive inu-nose. His eyes flickered down to the rapidly growing stain on Sakura's white blouse. He gently pushed her away so as to better see her wounds. Sakura sniffled loudly as she followed his gaze.

"Oh…" She acted as if she was just noticing the wounds.

"I'm very sorry, Sakura. I just…lost control…" He could not tell her that he had been comparing her to Momoko. He did not even know where those thoughts had come from. He was sure he loved Sakura, more so than he had ever loved Momoko, but he would have to be cautious. Sakura was Momoko's reincarnation. How could he be so certain that none of Momoko's feeling for him remained inside Sakura's soul?

Sakura swatted his hands away gently. "I'm fine. But…" She looked deeply into his eyes. "Are you okay? You called me Momoko before and then you attacked me and you looked like you were in a trance."

InuTaisho snorted. "Keh, you should be worried about yourself. Take off your clothes and bandage that wound. You're of no use to me injured."

Sakura's eyes widened sadly. Why had he suddenly changed? Did he no longer love her? Had he remembered that he, in fact, still loved Momoko? Sakura shook her head and complied, carefully unbuttoning her blouse and sliding it off her torso. She sighed when she glanced at the ruined shirt.

She reached for the discarded package of bandages and some alcohol and ointment. She instructed InuTaisho how to clean the wounds and then dress them and then she quietly sat there as he quietly cleaned and dressed her wounds.

She was so weak. If she had been more than a mere mortal, his claws would not have hurt her as badly as they had. She tried to not dwell on the irony of how they had come to allow her wounds to heal and she would be going back to InuTaisho's time with just as many wounds.

As InuTaisho was tying off the last of the bandages, Sakura's door opened and Kaito strolled in and stopped, his mouth hanging open. Sakura 'eeped' and reached for her ruined blouse. InuTaisho seemed unaffected.

"Sakura…InuTaisho…blood…shirt…" Kaito was at a loss for words.

Sakura shook herself. "Um…I tripped going down the stairs and InuTaisho grabbed me and accidentally cut me with his claws."

"Oh…" Kaito easily bought the story. "Anyway, I just got home from school. Gramma and Papa should be here soon. Are you leaving tonight?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, in the morning. Now, please, Kaito, get out of my room. And don't mention this to Papa or Gramma."

Kaito nodded. "Okay, Sis." He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Sakura and InuTaisho both relaxed. Sakura threw her blouse to the floor and then crossed her arms gingerly in front of her barely clothed breasts. "Well, I guess we're finished packing. I'll start on dinner and then we can eat early. By that time, the sun should be down and we can go to the store."

InuTaisho nodded silently. Sakura looked up at him. It seems that they had reverted back to how they had been the day before. Despite all they had shared…Tears threatened to spill from her eyes again. She wished he would open up to her more.

Sakura huffed and stood from her bed. She moved to her closet and pulled out another blouse to replace the soiled one. She slid it on and turned back to face her bed. She shoved in a few more items and then turned to leave. She paused with her hand on the door knob when she felt InuTaisho place his hand on her shoulder.

"I truly am sorry, Sakura. I never meant to hurt you."

Sakura slowly turned back to face him, tears lining her eyes. "It's too late for sorry, InuTaisho, because I never meant to love you."

InuTaisho's hand dropped from her shoulder. Sakura whipped back around and left her room. InuTaisho stood still and silent.

"_I never meant to love you."_

At least now he knew part of his answer. That Sakura did love him. But, was it her feelings she was feeling, or was it Momoko's?

**X**

Dinner at the Kobayashi Shrine was a quiet affair that afternoon. Sakura had explained to her family prior to that evening of InuTaisho's change and that they needed to eat early so they could finish getting supplies.

After they had all eaten, Sakura gathered the dishes and began cleaning them. That morning, all she had wanted was too spend alone time with InuTaisho, now, she dreaded it. As the sun began to dip behind the mountains in the distance, InuTaisho approached Sakura. She carefully set aside the dish she had been drying as she looked up at him.

"Come with me," he murmured so only she could hear.

Sakura nodded and quickly dried her hands. She followed him outside and he led her to the Sacred Tree. He took a deep breath and slowly turned to face her. She stood in the shadows and he stood in the last of the day's light.

"Only a few people have seen me like this, Sakura," he began quietly. "Of your family, I wanted you to see me like this first."

Sakura nodded her head slowly. "I understand, InuTaisho." She stepped forward and reached for his hand but he held up his own hand to stop her. She respected his wish and remained where she was.

She watched as the light gave way to darkness. InuTaisho seemed to pulse in darkness. Sakura had to squint in the faint light coming from the house and from the half moon to see him.

"InuTaisho…it's dark. Come into the light."

InuTaisho chuckled darkly at her desire. However, he stepped forward. His face remained impassive as Sakura gasped quietly.

"Inu…InuTaisho? Is that you?" She asked quietly.

She stepped closer to the man before her. His hair had darkened to the color of a raven's wings. His face no longer had his purple yokai markings and his inu-ears were gone and replaced by normal human ones on the side of his head. Though, the most startling change, were his eyes. Instead of the golden hues she had grown to love, they were now dark chocolate brown and if she looked close enough, there were specks of indigo in their depths.

She gingerly reached out her hand to carefully stroke his raven hair. InuTaisho watched her warily. She smiled encouragingly up at him.

"Will you be normal in the morning? 'Cause I kinda miss your puppy ears."

InuTaisho let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. She had seen him human and wanted to see him 'normal' again. She was perfectly fine with his hanyou blood. He grasped her hand that was exploring his cheek.

"Yes, I'll be…'normal' in the morning. So…even though you realize that I am mostly human, you are okay with my yokai side?" He dared to hope. If she answered 'yes,' it meant that her feelings were her own. If not…

Sakura's smile grew and she stepped closer. "It doesn't matter how you look, InuTaisho. You will always be InuTaisho to me. It doesn't matter if you're human or hanyou."

Every doubt he had earlier felt fled from his mind. He stepped closer to her, to better see her with his weaker human eyes. She tilted her head further back. They were merely inches apart. InuTaisho took this opportunity to examine her through his changed site.

He had thought her beautiful before, but now her beauty had changed. Before he had seen her as a mere mortal and then slowly she had become his aisuru. But now, he saw her the way a man would look at a woman. He flushed and turned his head to the side.

"We should hurry and finish. It's getting late. Being human makes me anxious." He grumbled.

Sakura smiled and clasped his hand tightly in hers. "Don't worry. I'll protect you from the big, bad future."

He glanced down at her from the side of his eyes. If only this tiny mortal could protect him from the 'big, bad future.'

**X**

Sakura sighed as she gently placed her large shopping bags on the table. Kaito and Gramma watched InuTaisho with wide eyes. They were still shocked by his change, but they kept silent about it out of respect.

InuTaisho placed his own bags on the table beside Sakura's and began tearing through them to find the Raman. Sakura shook her head in amazement. She had introduced him to the easy meal because it was just that: It would be easy for a hanyou of the past to prepare on his own when he was alone in the house. One would think he was a neko-hanyou and the stuff was catnip.

Sakura looked over the bags again and groaned. "InuTaisho, I think we got too much Raman."

He paused and looked at her with wide eyes. Sakura laughed at the fear in his eyes.

"Don't worry. We'll take what we can and then I can always come back. After all, Kagome came back too. This isn't a one time stop. And we have to come back next month for sure. Remember? That was our agreement."

InuTaisho nodded his head slowly. "Ya know, I vaguely remember InuYasha mentioning something to me about Ninja Food when I was a whelp."

Sakura pondered that. "I bet that's where you got the taste for it. Kagome probably brought the stuff back with her."

InuTaisho shrugged and moved to the side as Sakura brushed passed him to boil water for the Raman. While the teapot was getting hot, Sakura ran up stairs for her backpack and then came back down. The others watched as she shoved the last of the supplies into the cramped bag before turning just in time to take the screaming teapot from the red hot eye.

InuTaisho felt himself unconsciously relax as Sakura handed him the warm Styrofoam cup. He had not realized he had been stiff in the corner of the room. As he slurped loudly from his cup, Kaito and Gramma announced they would be turning in for the night. Sakura hugged them and told them she would wake them before they left. After a few minutes, Sakura and InuTaisho were alone in the kitchen. Sakura began to hum as she peered through her bag, double checking it.

InuTaisho suddenly understood why he felt relaxed. He had never been relaxed in his human form before because he had been back in Feudal Area and was constantly on guard against someone learning his secret and killing him. Here, he didn't have to worry about that on this one night. However, he somehow knew it wasn't just because of that. It felt…_right_ to be with Sakura. To watch her fix his dinner, to watch her move around her kitchen humming, to kiss her family goodnight. InuTaisho blushed and swallowed his Raman hard. It felt right to with _her._

The brown hair teenager looked up at him with wide chocolate eyes. "You okay, InuTaisho?"

InuTaisho nodded mutely and looked down at his Raman. He knew her feelings were her own. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was in love with her. He knew that he would do anything for her. He had thought being human would change those feelings, but, if anything, tonight he was more sure of his feelings than last night when they had made love.

The picture of his parents flashed in his mind's eye. How had InuYasha known Kagome had been his mate? How had his grandfather, InuTaisho, known that his grandmother, Izayio, had been his mate? Uncle Sesshomaru-sama had a different mother than InuYasha, so that meant that InuTaisho-sama had been with another woman before Izayio-sama. And what of the Kikyo woman Gramma had mentioned the first night? Had his own father had another woman before his mother?

His musing were interrupted by Sakura stretching and yawning. She blinked her eyes and smiled tiredly. "Well, InuTaisho, it's late. I'm going to bed. You should too because we have to leave tomorrow and Kami only knows when we'll get to sleep soundly again. Goodnight." With that, she sealed her pack, smiled at him, and turned and went up the stairs.

InuTaisho slurped up the last of his Raman and tossed it where Sakura had told him the trash belonged. He frowned, knowing good and well he would not 'sleep soundly' that night. How could he? He was a human man, sharing a small bed with a woman he had already had relations with. And…he was pretty sure that Sakura was not his aisuru…but, in fact, his mate.

* * *

Yay. We're going back to the past next chapter. Will the others learn of what has happened between Sakura and InuTaisho?

~Azarath101


	13. Secret

Man, it is so hard to write when someone keeps walking in! Some times I wonder why I even bother to write during the day? I just need to stick to writing after nine o'clock when everyone has gone to bed. Grumble, grumble, grumble…Okay, so it was harder to transition straight back to adventure than I thought, so we have a little bit more fluff mixed with actual plot stuff. I don't own InuYasha.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

**Secret**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Sakura and InuTaisho prepare to return to the past. As InuTaisho begins to realize that Sakura just might be his mate, he wonders if it is in fact her own feelings she has for him or if they belong to Momoko. InuTaisho has his human night._

**X**

InuTaisho felt his body pulse as his yokai blood returned to him. He had been awake for quite some time; he had just merely lain in Sakura's bed. Deciding it was time for them both to wake up and leave, he sat up carefully. He glanced down at the young girl beside him. The other day, he had been considering her a woman, however, when he had finally trudged up the stairs to try to sleep, he had found her cuddled with a stuffed panda bear plushie. She had looked like a child. Her face was smooth, calm, and innocent. That had caused him to realize that she was still just a child. As his view on the age of humans was slightly skewed, he had no idea how old she was. Perhaps sixteen?

The girl in question breathed in deeply and rolled onto her side, away from him, and mumbled incoherently. InuTaisho actually hated the thought of having to wake her, but he needed to. They had to leave today. They had wasted enough time and they needed to get back to hunting for the shards. Izayio -Aya- could have found nearly the whole jewel by now and InuYasha could have decided by now that he could not choose between his daughter and Kagome and had returned to hiding. He did not particularly want to drag Sakura back with him, but he needed her. They all needed her.

Sighing deeply, he reached over his clawed hand –vividly remembering when he had attacked her yesterday- and began to gently shake her shoulder.

"Sakura? We have to go."

Sakura groaned and pulled her blanket tighter around herself. "No…Papa…five…minutes…" she mumbled.

InuTaisho frowned and shook her shoulder harder. "Get up, wench!"

Sakura rolled back to face him and snapped her eyes open, only to narrow them at him. "I said a few more minutes!" She shouted. Then her face smoothed out for an instant and then she sat up quickly, eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, InuTaisho! I didn't mean to yell!"

InuTaisho raised a brow, confused by her sudden changes in attitude. He opened his mouth to respond when she suddenly yelped and jumped over him, flying out of the room and disappearing in the bathroom.

He stood quickly and walked out of the room to stand in front of the closed bathroom door. He winced when he heard her retch violently. She came out a few minutes later with her hair messily pulled back into a bun and her face sweaty.

Concern flooded through him. "Are you okay, Sakura? You look terrible."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Every girl loves to hear that, Baka." She grumbled before walking pass him and into her room, slamming the door behind her.

InuTaisho stood there for minute or so before turning on his heel and rushing down the stairs to seek out Gramma. Sakura was acting strange and he had a feeling she would know why.

He found her sitting at the kitchen table with Kaito and Kobayashi-sama eating breakfast. Kobayashi-sama scowled when InuTaisho entered the room, but InuTaisho paid him no mind. He went right to Gramma's side.

"Can I talk to you?" He quietly asked.

The aged woman looked up at him and nodded, "Of course." She stood and followed him out of the room to the front room.

InuTaisho turned to face her. "Sakura is acting strange. I think she's sick. Can I take her back?"

Gramma raised an eye brow. "It's probably just PMS. But, I'll go look at her."

InuTaisho nodded, not sure what this 'PMS' thing was, but he was glad Gramma would look at her. Gramma waved for him to go into the kitchen and eat before turning and heading up to Sakura's room. He stood there for a few minutes before his hunger set in and he grudgingly went into to kitchen.

**X**

Sakura sat on her bed, looking down at her shaking hands. She breathed in deeply to try to calm herself. She could pass off the mood swings on the fact she should be starting her period in a few days. And the fact that she had felt sick that morning could be due to something she had eaten last night. However, when she had taken off her pajamas to get dress and she had seen the small, tender bump on her once smooth stomach, everything fell into place.

She breathed in deeply through her nose. A baby. The cherry on top of everything that was going on. Even if she didn't have a mission to complete, she wasn't ready to have a baby. Was it even possible to start having symptoms this early?

Her head fell to her hands. She could not talk to InuTaisho about this. She could never tell Gramma or Papa about it, either. Her only option was Akira. Surely, if she was pregnant, Akira would be able to help her.

A small knock on her door caused her to jerk up. "Sakura?" Her grandmother's voice called.

The blood drained from Sakura's face. "Uh…hold on." She some how managed to get the words out pass her frozen lips. She stood and reached for the baggy, pink sweater lying on her bed and pulled it on. She glanced at herself in her mirror. She wore black shorts, black tennis shoes, long white stockings that went to her knees, and the loose pink sweater. The sweater fit just right so no one would be able to notice the bump…assuming the fact that the baby would be part yokai would not speed things up anymore than it already had.

She swallowed and reached for her brush. She began to brush her hair. "Okay…Gramma…" She began to pull her hair back up into a pony tail when the aged miko entered.

She eyed her critically. "Are you okay, Child? InuTaisho seemed worried that you could not go back. And you look a little pale."

Sakura pulled her hair tightly and then reached for a hair ribbon that would match her sweater. "Nerves." She mumbled.

Gramma nodded her head slowly. "That's understandable," she moved closer to her granddaughter. "You don't know what you will face back there. But, I have faith in you, Sakura. You're a smart girl."

Sakura tied the ribbon into a bow before turning around. She nodded slowly. "Thank you. We…should go…now."

Gramma pulled her down and hugged her quickly. "Your mother would be so proud of you." She whispered into Sakura's ear.

Sakura nodded weakly. "Yeah, sure…"

**X**

An hour later, Sakura was pulling her backpack onto her shoulders beside the well opening. She vaguely wondered if it was wise to be lifting the heavy thing. InuTaisho watched her from the corner of his eyes.

"Are you ready?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. We need to hurry." She had rushed through her breakfast and her goodbyes with her family. Especially with her father.

InuTaisho kneeled next to her and Sakura climbed onto his back. He stood and then leapt down the well. The blue light from before encased them both.

InuTaisho sniffed. "You smell different."

Sakura stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Your scent is…stronger."

Sakura's hold on him tightened. She didn't know what to say. He looked back at her.

"You're hiding something." It was a statement.

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing important."

The blue light began to fade away and they stood at the bottom of a bone covered well. They looked up and could see the morning sky. InuTaisho leapt up and out of the well, landing softly on the ground. Sakura quickly scrambled down. InuTaisho turned to face her.

"What is it?"

Sakura wouldn't, couldn't, look at him. "Nothing."

He stepped closer. "Sakura-"

He was interrupted by another shout of "Sakura!" They both turned to see a small yokai running towards them. Sakura recognized him from Kagome's pictures, even though he was clearly older and taller.

"Shippou." She smiled at the distraction.

The kitsune stopped before them and grinned widely. "InuYasha sent us to wait for you guys. Everyone's at Akira's hut."

Sakura pursed her lips. "Us?"

InuTaisho smacking his neck answered her question. Shippou and Sakura looked over to see a tiny flea yokai floating into his open palm.

"Myoga?" InuTaisho questioned.

Sakura peered at the tiny yokai. "You're so tiny. It's cute."

Myoga looked up at InuTaisho. "She has excellent tastes, mi'Lord."

InuTaisho rolled his eyes. "What? Has InuYasha got you two doing his dirty work?"

Shippou growled. "No! I would have come anyway just to meet Sakura."

Sakura smiled. "Aw, Shippou. You're so sweet." She pulled her pack from her shoulders. "I have something from you."

The kitsune's face lit up as Sakura dug through her pack. She then pulled out the envelope containing Shippou's copies of the pictures and handed them to him. He eagerly opened them and gasped loudly.

"It's Kagome!" He looked up at Sakura with wide eyes. "Thank you so very much, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled and reached out her hand to push his bangs back. "And you are so very welcome."

She looked back at Myoga and InuTaisho. "Should we head over to Akira's?"

InuTaisho nodded and the group made their way to Akira's tiny hut. The hut was full of life by the time they got there. Sakura pushed aside the flap and entered. InuTaisho merely peeked in and asked InuYasha to come out. InuYasha nodded to Sakura before stepping out.

Sakura looked over at Kazue and Shippou. "Shippou, Kazue, I would like to talk to Akira alone. Could you excuse us?"

Kazue looked up at her and smiled. "Of course, Sakura-sama."

The two males left and Saya moved to go after them, but Sakura reached out and touched her shoulder. "You can stay." Saya looked down at her with wide, curious eyes before sitting beside her. Saya and Akira turned their full attention to Sakura.

"What is on your mind, Child?" Akira asked.

Sakura looked her straight in the eyes. "I think I'm pregnant."

**X**

InuTaisho, Myoga, and InuYasha wandered deep into the forest before InuTaisho finally stopped and turned to face them.

"What happened while we were gone?" He decided that focusing on the most important topic would be a good distraction.

InuYasha shrugged. "We've collected two more shards."

InuTaisho smirked. "That makes five. How many does Izayio have?"

InuYasha shrugged again. "We haven't seen her."

Myoga nodded on InuYasha shoulder. "I've looked for the girl, but she has disappeared. She might be in hiding at a temple or missionary. Being part miko would easily give her the ability to hide in their ranks."

InuTaisho ran a hand through his bangs. "Well, Sakura's here now, so we can actually look for shards."

InuYasha crossed his arms. "Yes, about Sakura…"

InuTaisho froze. "What?"

InuYasha glanced down at Myoga. "Did you feel it too, Myoga?"

The wise flea nodded. "Yes, and I must say, it is truly a poor time to being doing such things, young master."

InuTaisho growled. "What 'things?'"

InuYasha narrowed his eyes. "You didn't even _mark _her, Son. That was foolish. The whole damn thing is foolish at a time like this, but if you're going to mate, at least do it right, Baka."

The young hanyou crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "I haven't mated with anyone."

Myoga jumped up and stamped his tiny feet on InuYasha's shoulder. "Excuse me, young master, but I must say: You are so foolish! You must be more careful in the future! Protecting the girl will be hard enough, but now that she carries the Great Inu-Yokai's great-grandchild, it will be that much harder. This will be a perfect time for some one to attack her, even if we weren't rushing off into battle."

InuTaisho felt the blood drain from his face. Her mood swings that morning, her sickness, her scent…It all made sense. "Oh…oh, _Hell_."

InuYasha and Myoga stared at him. "What? Had you no idea?" Myoga asked him.

InuTaisho growled. "_No_. I had no fuckin' idea! Oh, kuso…How…I mean…we just…" He growled again.

InuYasha sighed. "Great. Like Father, like Son. Why couldn't you have been born with Kagome's brains?"

Myoga laughed behind his hand. InuYasha's sharp look silenced him. He coughed delicately and then looked up at InuTaisho. "Well, even if it was just once, once your yokai has recognized a person as your mate and you…have relations, your yokai blood makes contraception easy. Especially if your yokai sensed you were some form of danger. Just look at you. You were conceived before InuYasha ran off to fight a very powerful enemy while he was gravely injured."

InuTaisho crossed his arms. "Well, that answers one question," he grumbled. "But, I'm not _in _danger."

InuYasha stepped forward and grabbed his son by his suikan collar. "Baka! Of course you are! We're in the process of finding Shikon shards. You may not realize this, but Izayio is _very _dangerous while she is in Aya's mind set."

InuTaisho looked up into his father's eyes. "Well, maybe if I had had a _father _around to teach me this stuff I would know this."

InuYasha released his son and quickly stepped back. "Son, I hope you never have to experience the pain I did when your mother died, and I know there is no excuse for my walking out, but I had no choice."

InuTaisho snarled. "There is _always _a choice."

InuYasha looked away. Realizing their conversation was over, InuTaisho turned and began to walk away.

Myoga's voice caused him to pause. "Don't wander too far. Now that Sakura has returned, we must make haste to start collecting shards."

InuTaisho grunted and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

**X**

Saya stared wide eyed at Sakura. Akira quietly stood and moved closer to the girl. Sakura said nothing as Akira pulled her blouse up and looked at the small bump. She sighed heavily.

"'Tis always a fortunate thing yokai blood gives exceptionally advanced warnings in a pregnancy."

Sakura stared up at her. "So, I'm right, aren't I? I'm carrying InuTaisho's child."

Akira nodded. "Yes. However, ye have chosen not the wisest time to be fooling around. I have some herbs that can keep the symptoms at bay, at least for a little while."

Sakura felt herself relax. "That's good."

Saya piped up, "Don't relax yet, Sakura. You're carrying a child that has blood of the Great Inu-Yokai. He still has many enemies, as does InuYasha. I think it is in your best interests, and the child's, to not let word spread. We must keep quiet about this until we can no longer hide it."

Akira nodded. "'Tis true. InuTaisho and InuYasha must remain focused on collecting the Shikon shards," she paused. "Does InuTaisho know yet?"

Sakura shook her head. "He knows something is wrong. He complained about my scent earlier and he told my Gramma that I was sick. But, he doesn't know about the baby."

Akira nodded again. "Good. We can't keep it quiet for too long. Sooner or later one of the yokai will smell it, but until then, we must be careful."

Saya moved closer to Sakura. "InuTaisho is practically my cousin. So that's my cousin inside you. I'll help keep you both safe."

Sakura nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Saya-chan." She gasped as she remembered the pictures. "Oh! I have something for you."

She pulled her bag closer and dug through until she found Saya's envelope. She handed it to the yokai-slayer who gasped gleefully at the futuristic gift. Sakura laughed when Saya pulled her into a tight hug.

**X**

Kazue and Shippou stared at each other with wide eyes. They had been listening under the window.

"Well…that was fast…" Shippou muttered. "It took InuYasha over a year to finally admit he loved Kagome. He was upped by his kid!"

Kazue smirked. "InuTaisho, that _dog_."

Shippou groaned at the terrible pun. Then he became serious. "But, Akira and Saya are right. We too must keep this quiet."

Kazue nodded. "Yes."

**X**

InuTaisho finally came into view of the village. They had wasted about half a day. It was time to get moving. Though, his mood darkened when he thought of the mess he had gotten them in. He had thought it important to protect Sakura before, but now she was with pup. And he would be damned before he allowed anything to hurt her or the pup. He sighed heavily. His best option would be for them to quickly recover the shards, stop Izayio, and bring Kagome back. However, as he didn't know how many shards there were still out there, he had no idea how long it would take to complete the jewel.

He looked up when he heard InuYasha call out for him. He sighed and headed to the tree his father and Myoga were sitting under. He stood before them with his arms crossed.

"What?" He barked.

InuYasha nodded towards the sword at his hip. "Nice sword. Didn't notice it before."

InuTaisho glanced down at it. "It's some legendary sword Sakura's grandmother forced on me. But, it's not important right now."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Look. We just wanted to…_encourage_ you not say anything to Sakura until she is ready to say anything to you."

InuTaisho raised a brow. "Why would I not talk to her?"

Myoga folded his arms into his small sleeves. "Well, young master, you both need to be focused on the jewel shards. Chances are, she has already figured out she is with pup. She'll bring it up when she feels comfortable doing so."

InuTaisho frowned. "So…I'm supposed to play stupid, right?"

InuYasha smirked. "Shouldn't be too hard."

InuTaisho began to retort when a shout caused them all to turn towards Akira's hut. Saya and Sakura stood outside it with Kazue and Shippou not to far away. Sakura's eyes were wide.

"I sense a shard!" She yelled.

InuTaisho turned to face InuYasha. "Guess we'll have to finish this later."

InuYasha stood quickly, cracking his fingers. "Guess so."

* * *

Sakura -who is prego- has sensed a jewel shard! Let the adventure return! So...who expected the pregnancy? It's rather sudden, but this is one of those "repeating the past" type of fics, so it works.

~Azarath101


	14. Battle With the Snake Yokai

I'm so sorry for the late update. This was supposed to be up yesterday, but you know, life. I own nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 13**

**Battle With the Snake Yokai**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Sakura and InuTaisho return to the past. Sakura is pregnant. Everyone knows, but everyone wants to keep it a secret, instead deciding to focus on the mission. Sakura senses a shard._

**X**

Sakura held on tightly to InuTaisho. As soon as she had alerted him to the presence of the shard, he, InuYasha, Shippou, Saya, Kazue, and herself had taken off. Myoga had, of course, disappeared. She had been a little worried how they would all travel until a small koneko-yokai had appeared and transformed into a large, two-tailed neko-yokai. When she had asked, Saya had explained that it was Kilala's offspring. When she had asked what had happened to Kilala, Saya had told her that the aged neko-yokai had passed away about fifty years ago. The koneko's name was Yuuna.

The journey to the shard was short and quiet. The only words spoken were between Sakura and InuTaisho as she directed him towards the shard. Eventually, InuYasha broke the silence once they were close.

"I smell blood."

The group looked back at the older hanyou. Shippou nodded from his perch on Yuuna behind Kazue and Saya.

"I smell it too. And there's lots of it."

InuTaisho began to speed up. Yuuna and InuYasha followed suit. Soon, a village came into view over the hills of the path they were traveling on. Smoke billowed thick and darkly into the sky. Screams and shouts could be faintly heard.

"Looks like bandits." InuYasha stated.

"Human bandits?" Sakura asked.

InuTaisho shook his head. "There is a yokai."

InuYasha glanced at InuTaisho. "Most likely human bandits led by a yokai. Why do its own dirty work when it can get humans to do it?"

InuTaisho returned his father's glance. "You speak from experience?"

InuYasha stared into his son's eyes. "Let's just say I've done things I'm not proud of."

Sakura nibbled her lip. "You had humans kill other humans?" Fear began to grow in her heart.

InuYasha's gaze softened. "No…I just slaughtered an entire clan of bandits after slaughtering their yokai leader. I didn't feel a thing until much later."

Sakura held back her gasp. She understood that yokais were, by definition, powerful and could be deadly and mean, but…she had thought InuYasha was different. And what of InuTaisho? Akira had mentioned something about him having to save Momoko from Daimyo Hojo, and she had a feeling that he had been possibly rather _violent_ about it. Her eyes flickered to her stomach. Would her child be a monster?

Her eyes narrowed. Never. She would sooner take her child away, back to her time, and face dishonorment then allow her child to grow up, encouraged, to be a monster, to be a killer. After all, it would have more human blood in it than InuYasha or even InuTaisho.

She looked sadly at the back of InuTaisho's head. That's what she would have to do. She would have to leave and never tell InuTaisho about the child. Saya had already told her that many yokai hated his family. It would be better for the child to grow up in her time, away from it all.

Completing the jewel now became more important to her. Her grip on InuTaisho tightened. "Please hurry. We have to stop them."

The others nodded and complied.

**X**

Akemi held her younger sister to her chest. She rocked her gently, trying to hush the younger child's cries. Her black eyes narrowed as she peeked over the straw they hid behind. When the bandits had attacked their home, she had grabbed her little sister and ran after their Mama had pushed them out the back flap. The barn on the edge of the village had seemed the perfect place to hide. She tried to not think about the bandits killing her Ma and Pa, and instead held onto the hope that they had somehow gotten away and would find them soon.

Akemi glanced down when her sister made a small crying noise. She brushed the younger girl's bangs out of her eyes. "Come on, Yuuki. We gotta be quiet." She whispered.

Yuuki sniffled and looked up at Akemi with wide eyes. "But…Ma…Pa."

Akemi was about to calm the girl's fears when she heard movement outside the barn. She slapped her hand over Yuuki's mouth and burrowed deeper into the shadows. She winced when she heard the heavy flaps covering the entry way roughly pulled down. What sounded like two men entered. Yuuki began to shake.

The men stepped roughly through the barn. Akemi's blood pounded as she heard them stick their katanas in the piles of hay.

"Thought I saw two wenches run in here," a voice grumbled.

"Be careful where you're sticking that. The master saw he wanted all the girls. The younger the better."

One of the men chuckled. "Hope he leaves some for us."

Akemi's eyes narrowed. She had heard stories about such men. And she would bet her dowry that they were lead by a yokai. She clutched her sister tighter. If they just stayed quiet…

Yuuki screamed loudly when the blade of a katana passed through the bale of hay they were behind. Akemi pushed her sister further back, her eyes scanning for something, _anything_, to defend them with. She muttered an unlady like word when she realized there was nothing within reach. She looked up at the two predators before her. They grinned down at her and Yuuki like they were animals. Akemi snarled. She would not go down without a fight.

One of the men pointed at her. "I like this one. I hope the master will let me have some fun with this one. She's feisty."

The other man grinned. "I would like a go when you're finished."

Akemi's hands fisted. "I'll show you feisty," she muttered before rearing back her fist. She put all her strength behind the punch and felt pleasure when it connected with flesh. However, her victory was short lived when she realized the first man had grabbed her fist. She struggled to get free, but it was to no avail.

Her eyes widened and she felt herself going numb. This would be it…Yuuki's screams became louder. Hearing her sister's screams reminded Akemi of her purpose. She screamed herself and balled her other hand. She swung wildly, but it too was caught it the bandits other hand.

The man frowned. "Maybe she's too feisty."

His partner frowned. "She just needs to be put in her place."

"Maybe you need to be put in yours."

The group turned and at the entrance stood a white haired inu-yokai. He held a large fang in his hand. The man holding Akemi dropped her roughly.

"A yokai!"

"Move away from the girls." The inu-yokai demanded.

The second bandit was about to comply when the first laughed. "We work for Yuji. He wants the girls."

The inu-yokai growled. "Are they really worth your life?"

The second bandit paled slightly. "We didn't mean nothing."

The yokai growled. The two bandits yelled and turned. Akemi pulled Yuuki to the side as they ran pass them and crashed through the back wall. There was silence as the dust from the fallen wall cleared. Yuuki whimpered loudly. Akemi held her tightly as she looked up at the yokai.

"Please…don't hurt my sister." Akemi would do anything the yokai asked as long as he would spare her sister.

The yokai lowered his weapon. He glanced behind him. "Sakura, can you tell me where the shard is?"

A girl wearing strange clothing with thick brown hair pulled back into a ponytail entered the barn. Akemi's eyes widened in shock.

"The yokai –Yuji, I think they called him- has it. He's hiding on the outskirts."

The yokai nodded. "Okay. You check on these two." He turned and with his head motioned to someone outside the barn. "InuTaisho, Shippou, let's move. Kazue and Saya, you two deal with the humans."

Akemi watched as the yokai ran off. She saw the shadows of the others he had spoken to run off as well. She and Yuuki were alone with the strange girl, Sakura. The girl in question turned and smiled at them.

"I won't hurt you. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She had a sweet voice and kind eyes. Akemi loosened her hold on Yuuki.

"Are you a human?" Akemi felt…closed minded to ask such a question, but she had to know.

The girl's smile wavered. "Yes."

"But you travel with a yokai?"

The girl moved closer slowly. "Well…yes. But…InuYasha and InuTaisho would never…intentionally hurt someone innocent."

Akemi released her hold on Yuuki and slowly stood. Keeping Yuuki behind her, she walked towards the girl. "My name is Akemi. This is my sister Yuuki."

The girl's chocolate eyes scanned them both. "Hello Akemi. Hello Yuuki. My name is Sakura."

Yuuki peaked up at her from behind Akemi. "Where are Mama and Papa?"

Sakura's eyes saddened. "I don't know, sweetie. But my friends and I will help you find them. Can you tell me what happened?"

Akemi reached up her hand and rubbed her eyes, trying to keep back the tears. "We were hearing these strange noises and then these men came into our hut and Mama pushed us out the back. We ran and hid here."

Yuuki pushed Akemi out of the way and quickly went to Sakura, throwing her arms around her legs. "I want my Mama!" The child cried loudly. Sakura kneeled down and hugged the child.

"It's okay. I'll take you to her." Sakura shushed.

Sakura looked over Yuuki's head at Akemi. Although Akemi was almost Sakura's age, she held as much fear for her parents as her younger sister. Determination set on Sakura's face. She hoisted Yuuki up onto her hip and then reached out a hand for Akemi.

"Come on. Let's go find your parents."

Akemi smiled. "Thank you, Sakura-sama."

**X**

InuYasha held his blade at the ready. InuTaisho stealthy walked beside him, ready to draw his own sword. The older inu-hanyou's golden eyes flickered around the devastated village. Huts were destroyed. Small fires burned in various places such as huts, carts, and gardens. A few bodies were littered around like forgotten children's play things. The stenches of blood, death, and fear almost brought InuYasha to his knees.

He did not need to strain to hear the whimpers of the women coming from the center of the village. He could hear and sense that they were clustered together surrounded by the bandits and this Yuji yokai. InuYasha had fought his type before.

Yuji was going to kill and eat the women to taint the jewel. It would make him stronger. They needed to hurry.

Their plan was simple. The yokais and hanyous would distract Yuji while Saya and Kazue would defeat the bandits and take the women to safety. InuYasha scoffed quietly. He had a feeling that Shippou and Yuuna would end up helping Saya and Kazue. It wouldn't matter, though.

InuYasha and InuTaisho ducked behind the remains of a hut and peaked at the terror that was unfolding in the village center. About twenty women were clustered like he had thought. Yuji, a humanoid yokai with snakelike features, sat at where the village headman would sit on special occasions. He snapped his scaly fingers and two bandits drug a plain looking woman in a torn and dirty pink kimono, screaming, towards him. InuYasha's hand tightened on his hilt as he watched Yuji take hold of the girl.

_'Not yet…' _He licked his lips. For their plan to work, they would need to strike at the right moment.

The woman –a girl, really- whimpered in the yokai's hand as he reached out his forked tongue to lick her cheek. She pinched her eyes tightly closed. Mere inches from touching her soft skin, Yuji's tongue paused. His nostrils flared and he jerked his tongue in and his head up.

"I smell two more girls." His voice was like a hiss. Beside InuYasha, InuTaisho stiffened.

Yuji tossed the young woman aside and stood. "I sense that one is a miko. Find her. Bring her to me. She will be the first to die."

InuTaisho's eyes flashed red as he ripped his sword from its scabbard. "Like Hell she will," he roared as he leapt from behind their hiding place and ran forward towards Yuji.

InuYasha swore under his breath and followed after his son. As expected, Shippou and Yuuna followed Saya and Kazue. Their respective battles began.

InuYasha watched as bright light encased InuTaisho's sword as he swung it and it matched the swings of Yuji's sword. He felt a moment's fatherly pride as he watched his son hold himself in battle before jumping in and assisting him. InuTaisho did not complain as he had thought he would.

Though it was two against one, they were evenly matched as Yuji was sustained by a shard. InuYasha tried to sense where the shard was, but it did little good as he had no spiritual power. Kazue did not offer any help as he was distracted by his own battles. He jumped back and went on the defensive as he tried to locate Sakura. He did not want her to be too close to the battle as she was carrying his grandchild, but they needed to know the location of the shard so they could finish this battle quickly and continue finding others.

InuTaisho glanced over his shoulder at InuYasha. "InuYasha?" He called then shouted as he met another blow.

Yuji noticed InuYasha's defensive stance and wandering gaze. "You're looking for the girl," he stated.

InuTaisho growled and swung his sword again. Within a second, Yuji's skin darkened and he reached his hand out and caught the blade in his hand. InuTaisho swore loudly.

"Weak hanyou. Actually, I should say weak human as you have more human blood than yokai. You are no match for the great Yuji." The yokai hissed triumphantly.

InuTaisho growled and tried to cut his sword through Yuji's hand, but it was impossible with his skin being adamantite tough. Yuji smirked and his hand tightened on the blade. InuTaisho feared he would snap it.

Deciding he would just have to wait for Sakura, InuYasha sprang forward. He could not use any powerful attacks with InuTaisho being so close to Yuji. He began to merely cut at Yuji, but the yokai simply chuckled as the Tetsusaiga bounced off the harden skin.

The two inu-hanyous were becoming rather annoyed with the situation.

"Damnit!" They both yelled in unison.

**X**

Sakura finally came into view of the battle in the village center. Her eyes widened at seeing InuTaisho struggling to release the Fushigi Ken from its grip in the yokai's hand. InuYasha's own attacks seemed to have little effect. Sakura glanced around. She smiled when she spotted a bow and some arrows. She placed Yuuki behind a hut and told her and Akemi to stay there. She then ran to the weapons and picked them up.

She notched her arrow and focused on the yokai. '_There.'_ She could see the glow radiating from the shard on the yokai's forehead, right between its eyes. She breathed in deeply and then deftly released the arrow.

It whistled through the air and Sakura shouted for joy when it hit the mark. The yokai screamed and released InuTaisho's sword. InuTaisho used the yokai's moment of weakness to his advantage and severed its head. InuYasha then stepped towards the fallen head. Sakura looked away as InuYasha hacked the jewel shard from the yokai's head. When she turned her head back, she yelped to see InuTaisho standing before her.

His face held no expression. "Nice aim," was all he said before he placed the shard in her hand and walked away to stand beside his father.

Sakura blinked her eyes in surprise. '_Since when were he and InuYasha so friendly?'_ She wondered as she watched the two inu-hanyous help Kazue and the other village men put out fires and move the dead away. Sakura licked her lips before returning to help Akemi and Yuuki.

**X**

It was after nightfall by the time they had finished with the village. While the men had set the village to rights, Sakura and Saya had helped the women find their children and treat the injured. (And Sakura had been happy to find Akemi and Yuuki's parents alive and well.) They had started to leave once everything had been set to some form of rights, but the village headman had offered them room and a meal and they decided to take him up on his offer.

Sakura had not been able to eat much of her dinner. Her stomach was starting to hurt again. She bit her lip and looked over at Saya. Saya looked up and understood her look of worry.

"Well, it's been a long day. Come on, Sakura. Let's go to bed." Saya quickly stood and Yuuna jumped onto her shoulder, meowing quietly.

Sakura nodded and stood as well. "Good night," she mumbled and then the two quickly went to the room they had been offered.

InuTaisho watched them leave with worry. InuYasha shoved another fish in his mouth, grinning as Shippou became angered.

"Feh, don't worry about her. Kagome was rough the first couple of days with Izayio. It's a defensive mechanism. It's how humans know they're pregnant with a yokai's pup." InuYasha appeared bored.

InuTaisho glared at InuYasha. "Mother died after having me, _Father. _What if Sakura can't carry well?"

InuYasha paled slightly. "That was a special case with your mother. That was my fault. Sakura is perfectly healthy as are you. The pup will be fine."

InuTaisho looked away from him. Kazue and Shippou looked wide-eyed at each other. Shippou then looked up at InuYasha.

"You two know?" The kitsune asked.

InuYasha looked down at him. "Keh, of course we know, runt. What do you think we are? Stupid?"

Shippou grinned. "A complete Baka."

InuYasha's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't be so bold without Kagome here to save you, you little pest."

Shippou paled. "Uh…sit?"

InuYasha smirked. "Not this time."

**X**

Sakura sat on her futon, staring at their collection of shards. They had at least half the jewel, give or take a couple of pieces. She gently placed them back in the cloth pouch she was using for a carrying case and then slid them in her pocket. With a great sigh, she flopped carefully back onto her futon.

Izayio –Aya, whoever she was- had to have at least a few shards. Kami knew how many. And Kami knew how many were left. Once they gathered all the shards out there, they would have to face off with Izayio to collect hers. That would be a tough battle as it would be between family.

Sakura pulled her lip into her mouth and began to nervously chew it. What would Izayio think of the child? Would she and the child be in danger from Izayio? Sakura curled into a ball.

She heard Saya roll over in the futon beside her. "What's wrong, Sakura? Are you ill?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, Saya. I'm…fine," she lied. Though, if one was to get right down to it, _she _was fine. It was her baby that she was worried about. She looked down at the tiny bump on her stomach. "How long, Saya? Until I show more?"

She heard Saya sit up. "I'm not sure exactly. Even for humans with human babies it's not always certain. Akira might have better information. Though, hopefully we will have completed our mission long before then."

Sakura nodded her head. "I hope so." She whispered.

The room suddenly darkened as Saya dimmed the lantern giving light to the room. Sakura heard her friend return to her futon and then silence in the room. The only sounds were of their breathing and the sounds of night life. Though it was calming, Sakura still had trouble falling asleep. And when she did, her dreams were dark and uneasy.

**V**

The group woke the next morning and set out. Sakura was in a rather foul mood and everyone was careful around her, especially InuTaisho who wore the enchanted beads. When asked if she sensed anything, Sakura mumbled she didn't. Without much of an idea of which way to go, InuYasha suggested they stick to the main pathways. That way, either Sakura would sense something or a yokai or human would come to them.

It was a quiet morning and most of the group enjoyed the nice spring weather. Sakura and InuTaisho were the only exceptions. Sakura still felt a little sickly; though she took pleasure in the fact it was not as bad as the morning before. She looked towards the sky and watched a pair of larks dancing together. She wondered how long her morning sickness would last. When she glanced back to the path before her, she noticed that InuTaisho was watching her closely. She blushed and looked away. She was getting rather tied of their hot and cold relationship.

InuTaisho had not been able to enjoy the peaceful morning as he could sense Sakura's distress. He had thought that she had been able to keep the warning sickness at bay or had taken some herbs the way she had so easily jumped into the battle with Yuji the day before. He watched the way her ponytail danced behind her in the soothing breeze and the way the sun danced across her face as she walked. To anyone else, she would have seemed perfectly healthy, but he and the others knew different. InuTaisho did not understand the way InuYasha did not seem so concerned. The young inu-hanyou shook his pale head to clear it. He needed to focus on finding the shards.

As if reading his mind, Sakura paused and stiffened. InuTaisho was instantly at her side, taking hold of her shoulders. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I sense _two _shards."

InuYasha and the others drew closer. InuTaisho looked at his father, who returned his gaze.

"They're towards the west." She glanced in that direction.

InuYasha growled. "Great. Perhaps we'll run into dear ol' Sesshomaru."

She looked InuYasha directly in the eyes. "And I can sense a large portion of the Shikon no Tetsu headed that way from the east."

InuTaisho and InuYasha locked eyes.

Sakura continued, "And that person has a strong spiritual power."

"Aya." The group said in unison.

* * *

Sesshomaru is about to make his grand reentrance! *Insert fangirl screams* Review, lovies!

~Azarath101


	15. The West

**A quick few author notes:** First, for those who would like quick reminders or just want to get to know my OCs better, my bio now has bios for the OCs in this series. Some even contain little snippets of extra, not mentioned information about them. Second, please take the time to go to my profile and answer a small poll about my next possible fic. Thirdly, for those that like the ORIGINAL Yu-Gi-Oh!, I have posted two one-shots over in the YGO section under Atem and Anzu M and Yami Yuugi and Anzu M.. They're what came out of InuYasha overload. Lol. Next, I'll be trying to make my updates a little faster. But, we'll see how that works out. And lastly, a short trailer for this fic is up on YouTube. Link can be found on my profile.

And now…I own nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

**The West**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Sakura learns that hanyous can be just as dangerous as yokais and begins to fear for her child, considering leaving with it once the jewel is complete. The group gains another shard. Sakura senses two shards in the west and a large portion of the jewel heading towards it from the east. The group heads west, to Sesshomaru's castle._

**X**

An inu-yokai about age fifteen in human years, and nearly two hundred in yokai years, strode briskly through the hallways of his castle home. He wore fine white robes trimmed in deep violet and his long, snow white hair was pulled back in a tight, high ponytail. His golden eyes held a rarely shown excitement.

He paused outside his father's study. He rapped lightly on the screen and waited until he was bid to enter to enter. He pushed the screen aside and then closed it quickly behind him. He observed the scene before him. His step-mother, Rin, sat perched on his father's desk –something only she could get away with-. Sesshomaru frowned slightly at Takeshi's interruption.

"Takeshi, what are doing here?" Sesshomaru murmured and began to roll up the scrolls he and Rin had been looking over. Rin pursed her lips at Sesshomaru's tone.

Takeshi stepped closer to the desk, excited. "Father, I have discovered something amazing."

Sesshomaru looked up at him expressionless. "This Sesshomaru had no idea that you had such free time."

Rin huffed and jumped down from Sesshomaru's desk and went to stand at Takeshi's side. Takeshi smiled slightly at his step-mother's small act of boldness. Sesshomaru merely watched her with his eyes and then flickered them back to Takeshi.

"What is so amazing that you had to disturb this Sesshomaru?"

Takeshi reached into his large sleeve and pulled out two amethyst jewel shards. He held them up so both his parents could see. Rin gasped loudly in surprise. Sesshomaru showed no emotion.

"I have done research, Father. Is it possible they are shards of the Shikon no Tama?" Takeshi asked.

Sesshomaru snorted quietly. "Preposterous. This Sesshomaru was there when the Shikon no Tama was destroyed. They are most likely quarts or some other precious stone. Nothing more."

Takeshi threw the shards down on the desk and slammed his hands down, rattling bottles of ink, and leaned closer to his father. Rin yelped.

"Father, I know what quarts look like. These are not quarts. I can feel a power coming from them. And I know you can too." Takeshi growled.

Sesshomaru looked evenly into his son's eyes. "What of it? You expect this Sesshomaru to believe that these are shards from a jewel that was destroyed centuries ago?"

Rin stepped closer to the desk and looked down at the shards with wide-eyes. "Perhaps Kagome-chan didn't destroy the whole jewel?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "No, Rin. InuYasha, as dense as he is, would have known."

Takeshi pushed away from the desk and crossed his arms. "Well, what do we do with the shards?"

Sesshomaru glanced down at them and then over to the scrolls he had discarded. He reached for one and opened it. "Whatever you wish, Son." He said while looking down at the scroll.

Takeshi looked down at the shards. "Father, you have-"

Sesshomaru threw the scroll down and stood abruptly. He glared down at his son. "Takeshi, one day you will control the western and eastern lands. This Sesshomaru will not be around to tell you how to do this. You must learn to solve your own problems if you ever wish to solve the problems of two domains. And allow this Sesshomaru to tell you about keeping order between the north and south inu-yokai clans being caught in the middle: It is not simple. We do not have time to waste on silly jewel shards. Do as you wish with them and then go about your business."

Rin backed away from the desk, in fear a fight would soon start. She covered her mouth with her hands. Takeshi snarled up at Sesshomaru.

"What if I don't want to rule? I've been stuck in this damned castle all my life. I want out."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "Then go."

Takeshi's eyes widened. "What?"

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red. "Get out if you wish to leave. This Sesshomaru does not want a weakling for a son or heir."

Rin gasped. "Sesshomaru!"

Rin shouted and moved closer to the wall when Sesshomaru turned to face her, eyes glowing blood red.

"Silence, Rin." He growled.

Tears sprang to her eyes and she quickly darted from the room. Seeing Rin run crying from him made Sesshomaru snap to his senses. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he opened his eyes again, they were gold. Takeshi's nostrils flared.

"Excuse this Sesshomaru. I must go calm Rin." Sesshomaru murmured before following her.

"Sesshomaru!" Takeshi called. Sesshomaru paused at the open screen.

"Do as you wish, Takeshi." With that, he entered the hallway and went after Rin.

Takeshi turned and looked down at the two shards on the desk. He grabbed them and strode out of his father's study. He would find Cousin Izayio. She was a miko and would be able to help him.

**X**

InuYasha grumblingly walked ahead of the group as he knew the west better than the others. Sakura was not too far behind him with InuTaisho at her side. The others brought up the rear. Sakura's brows were close together as she concentrated on the shards.

"West is on the move." Sakura mumbled. To keep the two shard locations separate, Sakura had dubbed them West and East.

InuYasha glanced back at her. "How close?"

"Still pretty far off, but…it has gained speed. Quickly." Sakura's brows were pulled together in concentration.

InuTaisho gazed at his father. "Yokai?"

InuYasha nodded. "Most likely. What about East?"

Sakura's eyes closed. "East is still going at an easy pace. But…it feels like West is…heading towards East. Or East is heading towards West."

Saya paused and reached into the cloth bag she carried on her back that held small weapons and other supplies. She pulled out a map and handed it to Sakura. Sakura raised a brow. "If you can draw a path for where you think they are going, we can meet them in the middle and save trips."

"Oh!" Sakura glanced down at the map. "Okay." It was very crudely drawn, but it would work. Sakura sat down and pulled out a pen and her history book –she thought it wouldn't hurt to bring it along- and began to draw the paths of West and East. The others clustered around her and watched. Once she had finished, she showed it to the others.

Saya and InuYasha examined it. "West is heading from Sesshomaru's castle." InuYasha stated.

"And East is heading from a temple." Kazue said, leaning over Saya's shoulder.

"If they keep going at a continuous path, they'll meet here." InuYasha tapped a clawed finger where the two lines met.

"So we head there?" Shippou asked.

InuYasha pursed his lips. "No. Let's keep them separate. I'll go after Sesshomaru. You guys go after the other one."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Is it safe to split up?"

InuTaisho and InuYasha scoffed together. "It's safer to keep you away from Sesshomaru." InuYasha informed her.

Sakura tilted her head to the side. "Why…?"

"He hates humans." InuYasha answered.

Sakura's face paled and her eyes flickered down to her stomach. InuYasha silently enjoyed the fear he saw on her face. He knew that now she would have no objection to their splitting up. Of course, keeping the pup a secret from Sesshomaru would be another matter…

InuTaisho stood. "It's decided then. We head east."

The others stood and the two parties formed. InuYasha stood alone. Shippou looked up at him.

"InuYasha, are you sure you want to go see Sesshomaru alone?"

InuYasha turned away. "Quiet, runt. He's my brother."

Shippou pursed his lips. "If you think you can handle it…"

InuYasha growled. "'Course I can!"

Sakura jumped in front of Shippou. "Ok, guys! Let's not waste anymore time! InuYasha, where should we meet you after we collect the shards?"

He shrugged. "I don't care."

"Ok, the village, then." Sakura answered herself.

InuYasha turned and began to walk off. Sakura waved after him. "See you soon, InuYasha!" She called after him. He waved over his shoulder at them. She then turned to face her own group. "Ok, gang! Let's go get the shard!"

"You're awfully perky," InuTaisho grumbled as they began their own journey.

Sakura's brow twitched. Sensing an argument, Saya latched onto Sakura's arm to distract her. "Sakura! You never told me how you where able to get those paintings of Sango and Miroku."

Forgetting her anger, Sakura turned to her new friend. "Oh, InuTaisho and I found them in Kagome's room. They belonged to her. I just made copies so you all here could have some."

Saya tilted her head to the side. "Your time certainly is much different than this one."

Sakura nodded vigorously. "You bet."

While Saya distracted Sakura, Kazue and Shippou slowed to walk next to InuTaisho. Shippou scowled. He would have much rather been walking with Sakura if she and Saya would be talking about Kagome. However, InuTaisho was being a baka and he needed to be set straight. Kazue leaned closer to InuTaisho to whisper to him.

"You should try to not anger, Sakura-sama. She could very well use those magical beads against you rather suddenly in her current condition."

InuTaisho paled. "Oh, yeah."

"Baka! Be nice to her!" Shippou yelled.

InuTaisho growled. "You should watch out for yourself."

This time, Shippou paled. "Sakura!" He cried, racing to her and latching onto her leg. Sakura stopped and looked down at the kitsune. He pointed at InuTaisho. "InuTaisho threatened me!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes and frowned at InuTaisho. "InuTaisho…"

He held up his hands in peace. "He started it!"

"_Stay!_"

Kazue sighed as the dust began to clear. "I told you so."

**X**

InuYasha now had no idea how far away the shard was. He did not sense Sesshomaru's aura, either. He could sense a powerful aura about five miles ahead of him, but it was not Sesshomaru's. However, it held the faintest traces of Sesshomaru's aura within it. It could be one of Sesshomaru's henchmen. Deciding it was his best bet to hunt that aura out, he tracked it.

He was glad that Shippou had not followed him when he had to get down on all fours and sniffed the ground when he lost sense of the aura. He could hear the blood hound comments in his head. He growled, but could not keep the smile from his face. He wished he could go back in time to when it had been his friends hunting the jewel shards and not the ragtag group that was doing it now.

Catching the scent again, he started running again. He had to hurry. He had no idea of telling how close or far away the East shard was and he could only pray that InuTaisho and Sakura had reached it or would be soon.

As the aura's presence became stronger, InuYasha began to wonder just why someone who worked for Sesshomaru had possession of a shard. Sesshomaru had before thought that it was distasteful to use the shards or jewel to raise to power. He believed in trickery, fighting, and hard work to rise to power. Was one of his lower yokais trying to over throw Sesshomaru? InuYasha figured that he should worry about someone gaining control of the west, as it was technically his lands too, but he found he could care less. It was Sesshomaru's problem if someone wanted to overthrow him. And if that was the case, why wasn't Sesshomaru also tracking the shard holder? Unless, Sesshomaru had found a way to mask his own aura. It was possible.

InuYasha's ears twitched as he began to hear the faintest noises of movement ahead of him. He smirked. He was getting close.

**X**

Takeshi pushed his yokai powers to the edge as he ran. He had to reach Cousin Izayio-chan. She would be able to take the shards to a safe location. If Father did not care about what happened to the shards and would insist he should continue with his training, very well. He would first take part of this small mission. His honor would forever be soiled if he just threw the shards away. He had to make sure that a miko of high standing had possession of them.

The young inu-yokai frowned. Why was Father so…stern? It was as if he only cared about his power and lands. As a child, Father had forced him to train long and hard. He sometimes wondered what Mother Rin saw in him. Mother Rin was a mere hanyou and Father had shown a deep hatred a few times for hanyous and humans. How had they ended up together?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was none of his business who his father mated with. For all he knew, Father had mated with Mother Rin so someone could raise him and now kept her around for a good screw.

Takeshi flushed. How dare he think about his parental units in such a fashion? Father was right about one thing: Do not let one's mind wander.

He decided to focus on the task at hand. He drew in a deep breath and froze. He did not smell Cousin Izayio. Instead, he smelt a fast approaching inu-hanyou. He cursed himself. He had not been focusing and had allowed a hanyou to gain on him. Takeshi stopped and turned to face the direction the hanyou was coming from.

No doubt the hanyou had sensed the jewel shards. Takeshi growled and drew his sword. He would not be handing the shards over to a weak inu-hanyou.

His grip on the sword tightened when the hanyou cleared the forest and leaped onto the path before him, his own sword drawn. Takeshi snarled in warning.

The inu-hanyou had long flowing white hair and large golden eyes. Two triangular inu-ears twitched atop his head. He wore red robes. Takeshi tilted his head to the side and sniffed again in confusion.

The hanyou straightened from his fighting stance and sheathed his sword. "Well, Takeshi, you were the last person I thought I would find."

Takeshi's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Who are you?" This inu-hanyou smelt like Sesshomaru and looked similar.

The hanyou crossed his arms. "I'm Sesshomaru's brother and your uncle. Don't tell me you forgot about me. I know you were a whelp when I met you, but surely Rin told you stories about all the times I kicked your father's butt."

Takeshi straightened and sheathed his sword. "You're InuYasha." He stated.

InuYasha nodded his head. "Yes. Now, hand over the shards."

Takeshi shifted, prepared to unsheathe his sword again. "How did you know I have shards?"

"That's none of your business. Now, hand them over." InuYasha held out his hand.

"What do you plan to do with them?" Takeshi took a step back.

InuYasha growled. "Damn it, Takeshi! I ain't got time for this!" He took a step closer.

Takeshi unsheathed his sword. "Father did tell me that you wanted to be a full yokai. Do you still long for that?"

"I haven't wanted that in over two centuries." InuYasha's face softened.

Takeshi pursed his lips. "I am taking them to Izayio-chan. She is a miko; she would know what to do with them."

InuYasha's eyes widened. "No! You can't trust Izayio with them! Just give them to me. I know a miko that can hold them until all the shards have been found."

Takeshi snorted. "Yes, I would trust you with them because you handled the last jewel so well."

InuYasha growled. "Don't push me. I destroyed the last jewel. I plan to see that this one is destroyed as well."

Takeshi shifted to the side, looking for a chance to escape his uncle. "How?"

InuYasha crossed his arms. "I'm going to make a pure wish on it the completed jewel. But, trust me, Takeshi. Do not give the shards to Izayio. She's not in her right mind."

"And you are?" The young inu-yokai saw an opening. As his attention became distracted, the older inu-hanyou took it as an advantage. InuYasha lunged forward. Takeshi dropped his sword and, snarling and growling, the two began rolling and fighting on the ground.

InuYasha, though older and half-human, had the advantage as he was used to hand-to-hand combat. Takeshi was more used to more sophisticated fighting with weapons or using his yokai powers. Also, as tough as he tried to act, he was not used to rolling around in the dirt and filth.

Eventually, InuYasha was able to rip Takeshi's sleeve open and the jewel shards fell out. He snatched them up and jumped away. Takeshi also sprang to his feet, his irises were crimson and his pupils were aqua.

InuYasha looked smugly down at the shards. "This could have gone better. You must really be Sesshomaru's son. Everything the hard way."

"I'm nothing like him!" Takeshi's voice was deep and rough.

InuYasha's eyes widened. Takeshi's face began to elongate, his body began to reshape itself, and white fur sprouted from his flesh. Within seconds, Takeshi was gone and in his place stood a large white inu-yokai beast; Takeshi's true form.

"Oh, kuso." InuYasha grumbled, unsheathing his Tetsusaiga.

**X**

Sakura walked ahead of the group. They were getting closer to the east shard. She could sense that the west shard had stopped moving. She hoped that meant that InuYasha had found it.

The east shard was still heading towards the west. They would intercept it soon. She could sense what she thought was the aura of the person holding the shard. It felt very familiar.

InuTaisho stopped suddenly. "Kuso."

The others stopped too and turned to look at him. "InuTaisho?" Sakura asked.

He growled. "I know this aura."

"It felt familiar to me…" Sakura began to chew her lip nervously.

Saya folded her arms over her chest. "Well? Plan to share with the rest of us?"

Kazue placed a hand on her shoulder. "Saya…the aura has a spiritual feel to it. Surely you can sense the other part of the aura? It's split."

Saya shrugged. "I just thought it was some weak yokai."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm beginning to think it's not just 'some weak yokai.'"

InuTaisho sneered. "It's Aya."

Sakura nodded sadly. "And her shard is quite large."

**X**

InuYasha yelled as Takeshi threw him back through the air. He landed about fifty feet away on the ground. He lay dazed for a moment. He had not had to fight in any rough battles since he had killed Kiba. It was taking him awhile to get used to it again. He jumped to his feet and to the side when he saw Takeshi charging at him again.

"Takeshi! I'm on your side!" He yelled as he moved again.

InuYasha had been careful to not fully attack him. Not only would Sesshomaru be _very _upset if InuYasha killed or harmed his heir, InuYasha did not want to intentionally hurt his own flesh and blood. (Not that Sesshomaru counted.) InuYasha blocked Takeshi's large paw with his sword. He could only block, not send any attacks and because of that, Takeshi had the upper hand.

InuYasha jumped several feet away. His gaze locked on a group of nearby large trees. He lifted up the Tetsusaiga and sent his Kaze no Kizu at them. The trees exploded and offered InuYasha a temporary diversion. Takeshi turned away to avoid any splinters entering his eyes. This allowed InuYasha to do the only sensible thing.

He turned and ran like the devil was at his heels.

* * *

And, please, if you did not read my AN, please do. Thanks! Review!

~Azarath101


	16. Death in the East

I guess my new writing habits have worked. This was a faster update! Lol. And, no, I have not forgotten this fic. I own nothing.

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**Chapter 15**

**Death in the East**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_Takeshi finds two shards and after fighting with Sesshomaru runs off to give them to Izayio. The Inu-tachi split into groups. InuYasha goes after the West shard and fights Takeshi briefly before running away to keep from hurting his nephew and angering Sesshomaru. The others go after the East shard and soon realize that it is in possession of Aya._

**X**

InuTaisho and his friends proceeded slowly forward. They were not eager to reach Aya, knowing that it would most likely lead to a fight between InuTaisho and his beloved sister. Sakura chewed her lip nervously, worrying about how Izayio would react to her pregnancy. Sakura had a feeling that she would be able to sense it. Her eyes cut to InuTaisho. Would her secret come out? How would he react?

InuTaisho, feeling her gaze on his back, looked over his shoulder at her. "What, girl?" He barked.

Sakura breathed in deeply. Now was not the time to let her hormones control her. She needed to stay calm and focused. "It's nothing, InuTaisho."

He narrowed his golden eyes before slowly turning to look forward. Saya and Kazue eyed each other nervously. No one spoke for several minutes.

Sakura gasped and stopped, her eyes wide. The others tensed and turned to her. She pointed her finger ahead of them. "The shard is on the other side of those trees."

InuTaisho followed the path of her finger with his eyes and then sniffed deeply. He swore. "It's Aya, alright." He ran forward, leaving the others behind.

When their slower, human reflexes and minds caught up with what was happening, they too lurched after him. The group cleared the trees and stood in a large clearing. And there she stood.

Aya had shed her miko robes for attire that was better suited for traveling. She now wore a plain black kosode that was cut off just above her knees with the sleeves cut out and a red obi tied around her waist. Her long black hair was pulled back with a piece of red cloth. Her feet were bare.

In her hand, she held a large piece of the Shikon no Tetsu. A smirk graced her full lips.

InuTaisho frowned. "Izayio, I-"

She snarled. "Izayio isn't here."

InuTaisho narrowed his eyes. "Aya. I don't want to fight you. Please, just hand over your shard. It's over. Our piece is twice the size of yours."

Aya glared and growled loudly. "Higurashi InuTaisho. I challenge you to a duel. We wager our shards. Whoever wins gets them both."

InuTaisho held out his arms in exasperation. "Aya! Please, let me talk to Izayio! I _know _my sister is there!"

Aya's eyes flashed gold. "Izayio is locked away. I will not let her out until I have destroyed the jewel."

InuTaisho unconsciously moved closer to his sister. Sakura gasped and jumped in front of him, holding her arms out. "Stop! No one has to fight anyone! Aya, please! You must understand that Kagome was not herself when she tried to kill you! You were both under a spell! Your mother loved you so much!"

Aya's eyes locked on Sakura. They narrowed further. "How would you know? You weren't even born yet! You aren't even born now!"

Sakura's arms dropped to her stomach. She looked down at her hands folded over her small bump. "Because it's impossible for a mother to hate her child," she whispered before looking up. "Kagome risked her life to stop InuYasha from killing Kiba so she would not have to raise you or InuTaisho alone. And later, when it would have been safer to abort InuTaisho, she gave up her life so he could have one!"

Aya crossed her arms. "How do you even know any of that?"

"InuTaisho and InuYasha told me. Now, please, Aya, I beg you…give us your jewel." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. "If you help us collect the final shards and give us yours, after we bring Kagome back to life, you can ask her. If she says that what I just said is false…you can kill me…after a year's time."

Her friends gasped loudly.

"S-Sakura…" Saya whispered.

"Sakura! No!" Shippou jumped up and down.

InuTaisho stood stunned before he reached out his hand and griped her shoulder. "No…Sakura…I won't let you risk your life."

Sakura glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled weakly. "Do you doubt your own mother?"

"No…it's just…I…" He looked down. How could he finish? I love you? I need you? I want you? You're carrying my pup?

Aya's cruel laughter cut through the clearing like a knife. "Did you honestly think I would agree to that? How can your life be equal to Kagome's?" She pointed her finger at Sakura's stomach. "Just because you carry a bastard pup inside you, does not mean you can understand how a mother thinks. I can sense the fear in your aura. You are worried that it will be a monster. You plan to take it back to your time. That's not motherly love; that's selfishness."

Sakura gasped and her eyes widened. She looked back at InuTaisho. His eyes were wide and he was clearly shocked. "InuTaisho…I'm…sorry." She did not want him to find out this way. She didn't want him to know at all. After all, it was her fault they had a one night stand.

"You…want to take our pup away?" InuTaisho did not understand this. He had thought she was just simply scared and that was why she had not come to him. However, he was wrong. She had not told him because she thought the pup would be a monster. She wanted to take his pup from him…

Aya laughed again. "You haven't told him? Some mother you are."

Sakura felt a lump form in her throat and tears burn in her eyes. She shook her head. "You…don't…understand…" Her tears spilled and poured down her cheeks. How had everything gone so wrong?

Saya stepped forward and placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Aya, this isn't about Sakura or InuTaisho. It's about Kagome. Will you not help your father? He needs Kagome back. Being a yokai slayer, I know how tough it can be for a yokai when they loose their mate."

Aya looked down, her bangs casting her face into shadows. "Kagome did nothing to help Father. All she did was cause him pain. I'm helping him by making sure she never comes back. I will do anything to protect my family."

InuTaisho moved around Sakura, not once looking at her. "Aya…please. This is tearing our family apart. You may not believe it, but we both need our mother."

Aya looked back up. "InuTaisho. Has Sakura hurt you by wanting to take away your pup?"

InuTaisho was confused by her sudden change of thought. "We're not talking about that now, Aya. Let's focus on this problem first."

Aya closed her eyes and smiled slightly in amusement. "Izayio wants me to tell you truth about what happened fifty years ago with Momoko."

InuTaisho raised his brows. "What does that have to do with _anything_?"

Aya pointed a finger at Sakura. "Well, baby brother, if that…monster is going to hurt you, I plan to alleviate it the way I took care of Momoko."

InuTaisho tensed. "What are you talking about?"

Aya stood straighter. "You would have never liked being human, brother. She would have not made you happy. She despised your yokai half even though she told you you should be proud of it. I killed Momoko."

There was silence in the clearing. Not even the wind blew.

InuTaisho looked down, his bangs covering his face. He shook with silent rage. At length, he spoke. "You killed her." His voice was deadly calm. He slowly looked up. "If you lay a finger on Sakura, I'll kill you."

Sakura felt herself relax slightly. He still loved her.

Aya clicked her tongue in an unapproving manner and shook her head. "Little Brother, that girl has messed with your head. Allow me to cure the problem. Then, we can all go home to Chiyoda and everything will go back to normal. I'll even fix your Robe of the Fire Rat for you. It's gotten ripped." Her claws glowed and lengthened.

InuTaisho's face darkened. "No, thanks."

Aya snarled. "You ungrateful pup!" She launched forward.

Sakura screamed out when InuTaisho pushed her back and lurched forward to meet his sister's attack.

**X**

InuYasha walked calmly into Chiyoda. He had lost Takeshi and had quickly come back to the village, expecting the rest of the inu-tachi to also be back. When he saw Akira exit her hut, he rushed to her, startling her.

"Oh, InuYasha. Ye have returned." She smiled.

InuYasha looked around. "Where are the others?"

Akira frowned. "They are not with ye?"

Nervousness crept into InuYasha's heart. "They haven't returned?"

The miko shook her head. "Nay."

InuYasha turned on his heel and tried to visualize Saya's map in his head. He had a pretty good idea of where they were. He just hoped he could reach them before they got into too much trouble.

**X**

Sakura, Saya, Kazue, and Shippou watched in bewildered silence as InuTaisho and Aya exchanged blows. They weren't really sure what to do. Should they help InuTaisho or let the siblings duke it out until they called a truce? Would there be a truce?

Sakura reached out her hand and stumbled forward. Saya reached out and snatched her back.

"Sakura, you shouldn't get involved in _that_. InuTaisho would blame himself if you or the baby were hurt. And, it's their fight."

Kazue nodded in agreement. Shippou looked up at her. "Sakura, a fight between yokais and hanyous is usually to the death. If you involve yourself to help InuTaisho, Aya will kill you in a heartbeat." He looked down. "Though…I'm not sure what happened to her. The Aya I remember was kind and gentle. She even saved me from Sesshomaru's burning castle."

Sakura glanced back up at the fight nervously. Something had to of happened to Aya then. Maybe it was the fusion of her light and dark souls, as InuYasha had said. Or…something else. She didn't know and at the moment, she didn't care and didn't have the time to try to figure it out.

"Aya! InuTaisho! Please! Let's work this out!"

Her cries went unheard as Aya pushed InuTaisho back.

**X**

Izayio sat on her knees and watched from her mental cage in their mind. She felt so useless. She banged her fists on the black ground in frustration.

_"Aya! Stop!" _

_"No, InuTaisho has been blinded again. The wench has brainwashed him and plans to hurt him."_

_"I know Sakura. She…must have had a reason for wanting to take the pup away. I have a feeling that she is the only one who can help our brother get pass his dark past. Grant…we caused most of it…But, I know they are mates. Please…just let them help Mother."_

_"NO!" _Aya's force knocked Izayio the rest of the way to the ground.

Izayio growled. _"Aya, I will stop you. I will not let you hurt our brother again."_

Aya laughed. _"I would love to see you try."_

Izayio stood shakingly. She closed her eyes and summoned all of her miko strength. Silver light encased her and shot out.

**X**

InuTaisho slowed his advance when Aya stopped. Her eyes went wide.

"No, Izayio! NO!" She screamed.

The group watched as she clutched her head and screamed in pain. Silver light surrounded her and slowly died away. She looked up again with tears in her eyes.

"Inu…Taisho…" Her voice was strained.

"Izayio." He breathed.

She nodded and InuTaisho quickly went to her, kneeling before her and holding her shoulders. Izayio shrugged his hands off and handed him her Shikon shard. He looked down at it in wonder before looking back into her caramel eyes.

"Take it…save Mother…" She gritted her teeth.

"Izayio, what's wrong?"

"It is hard to…repress Aya…she's so much…stronger…" A shudder passed through her.

Sakura kneeled beside InuTaisho. "Can I help you somehow?"

Izayio shook her head. "No…I am…sorry, Sakura…" She gasped it pain. "She is…fighting me…InuTaisho…please…kill us."

InuTaisho growled and shook his head. "No, Izayio. There has to be another way."

She weakly narrowed her eyes. "There isn't. Hurry…If you don't, she will…take over…again. And I will be…lost."

"Lost? What do you mean?" InuTaisho dropped the Shikon shard and gripped her shoulders again.

"She will…shred my half of our soul…Do it _now_."

He shook his head. "I can't, Izayio. You're my sister. I can learn to forgive you for killing Momoko. We can find a way to defeat Aya. Please, fight it."

Izayio shuddered. InuTaisho growled and Sakura worried her lip. The others watched on, unsure of what to do.

"Izayio, can I purify you? Will that drive Aya out of you once and for all?" Sakura asked quietly.

Izayio feebly looked at her. "You are not strong enough…even being Momoko's reincarnation…to purify Aya…Besides…she wants to…kill you…If she takes over…she will go after you first…"

"What did I ever do to Aya?" Sakura huffed.

"You…loved our brother…yet you wanted to hurt him…by taking his pup…She would not stand for that…"

Sakura and InuTaisho stared into each other's eyes. "I wanted to protect the baby. I thought…it would be too dangerous here…" She looked down.

"I understand that, Sakura…but, why didn't you talk to me first?" His eyes were pained.

"I was…scared." Sakura looked down to the forgotten Shikon shard.

Izayio screamed out in pain before InuTaisho could answer. Everyone went on alert as her eyes began to flicker between gold and caramel.

"Aya's taking over! InuTaisho! We must act now!" Kazue called out.

"I…Damn it! She's my sister!" InuTaisho yelled.

"But she's my daughter. Move, InuTaisho! Sakura!"

The group turned and InuYasha ran out from the forest, holding his Tetsusaiga. Sakura grasped InuTaisho by his arm.

"Sakura! InuTaisho! Move!" InuYasha yelled, his blade glowing dangerously.

"InuYasha! You can't!" InuTaisho snarled.

Izayio's body reared up its head, eyes blank. It reached out its hand and grabbed Sakura by her throat. Sakura paled as the hand tightened.

"Die, Sakura!" Izayio screamed, her voice demonic.

Saya and Shippou screamed. Kazue held them back, fear in his brown eyes. InuYasha growled and dug his heels into the ground to stop himself. InuTaisho reached for Sakura's throat and tried to pry Izayio's fingers loose. They would not budge. Sakura's head began to feel light. Her hand twitched towards her stomach. InuTaisho's eyes flashed red as he realized the full amount of danger.

"She's not your sister anymore, InuTaisho!" InuYasha yelled.

InuTaisho looked into Izayio's soulless eyes "I'm sorry, sister," he whispered as he placed his hands on either side of her head. He grunted as he twisted her head sharply to the side. There was a sickening snap.

Izayio's hand went slack around Sakura's throat. She then slumped against InuTaisho. Sakura began to breathe deeply, coughing loudly occasionally. InuYasha kneeled beside his family.

"She is finally at peace." InuYasha whispered; his sad eyes peering down at his only daughter.

Kazue kneeled beside InuYasha. He gripped Izayio by her shoulders and pulled her away from InuTaisho, laying her gently on the ground. He carefully closed her eyes.

"We shall give her a proper burial." Kazue whispered.

InuTaisho nodded and slowly turned to Sakura. "Are you okay?"

She placed a hand over her stomach. "I…think so."

"We'll have Akira check you out." InuYasha said before standing and sheathing his fang. "Kazue and I will burry Izayio. The rest of you should head back to Chiyoda."

InuTaisho helped Sakura stand. Without glancing back at Izayio's still body, they turned and headed towards Saya and Shippou. The group slowly began to head back to Chiyoda, leaving Kazue, InuYasha, and Izayio's body behind.

**X**

Not much was spoken besides group members asking Sakura if she was okay. Every time she would reply that was fine and then glanced worriedly at InuTaisho. She wasn't worried about herself. She was worried about him. And she was choosing to focus on the fact that her baby…her pup…had yokai blood in it and would be fine even after a few minutes of lost oxygen.

When they arrived at Chiyoda, Saya and Shippou explained everything to Akira. Akira took Sakura into her hut and examined her. Sakura let out a breath she had not realized that she had been holding when Akira told her that she and her pup were fine. The older miko then eyed the few scrapes that InuTaisho had been given during his brief fight with Izayio. He scoffed and shrugged off her advances to help him.

Deciding that Sakura needed a short break after the day's events, Saya took her to a small hot spring not too far away from the village and the two girls allowed the warm, steaming water to ease their travel worn bodies.

While the girls were at the spring, Shippou attempted to talk to InuTaisho, but he merely ignored the kitsune and went to sulk in his tree. Shippou sighed and scampered off to find Myoga and inform him about Izayio's passing.

**X**

The sun was close to setting by the time Kazue and InuYasha had finished their dismal duty. Kazue stretch, working his weaker, human muscles as InuYasha whipped the dirt from his hands by clapping them together. Something sparkly caught his attention. InuYasha walked towards it and picked it up off the ground. He held it up to so Kazue could see it.

"InuTaisho left the shard behind." InuYasha said, stunned that his son had left it behind.

Kazue eyed it wearily. "In his defense, he did have a rough day. He had to kill his sister, after all." He looked away. "By the way, InuYasha, why were you so prepared to kill Izayio earlier?"

InuYasha stared intently down at the large shard. "She was no longer my daughter. The darkness in her heart had consumed her. There was no way to save her. Aya would just keep coming back. It was the only way to save her."

Kazue nodded respectfully. "Sometimes, death is the easier course to take. However, we must not dwell on her sacrifice. We are now closer to resurrecting Kagome-sama. That is…if it is even possible to do such a thing."

InuYasha's head jerked up. "What do you mean?"

Kazue stared at him with wide eyes. "Do you not know, InuYasha? The Shikon no Tetsu was made out of the souls of yokais that were torturing humans. It was made to protect humanity. Not grant wishes."

InuYasha stared down at the shard, disgusted. "The Shikon no Tama was made kinda like that and it could grant wishes."

The young monk looked away. "In any case, I believe that we should all be prepared…just incase the jewel can not grant your wish."

InuYasha shoved the jewel into his sleeve, no longer wishing to look at it. However, if he had looked at it, he would have seen a tiny speck of impurity deep inside the jewel fragement.

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Review please!

~Azarath101


	17. Towards the South

My updates are getting a little quicker now! Yay! I own nothing!

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**Chapter 16**

**Towards the South**

_Previously on InuTaisho:_

_InuTaisho kills Izayio to save her from Aya and to save her from killing Sakura. Kazue reminds InuYasha that the Shikon no Tetsu may not bring Kagome back to life. _

**X**

InuYasha and Kazue returned to Chiyoda at nightfall. The inu-tachi regrouped at Akira's hut and began to discuss their next move.

Akira held the pieces of the jewel in her hands. "It be hard to tell how much of the jewel ye have. They need to be fused somehow."

Saya glanced at Sakura. "Are you able to do that, Sakura?"

Sakura's brows pulled together. "I don't know." She held out her hands and Akira carefully places the shards in her cupped hands. Sakura clasped her hands together in front of her chest and concentrated on them, her eyes closed.

The others watched in silence as she focused all of her powers to fuse the shards together. Amethyst light filled the room and Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She slowly opened her hands to reveal a nearly completed jewel. The others smiled in victory.

"It's almost complete!" Shippou cried out, bouncing.

InuYasha leaned closer to examine the Shikon no Tetsu. "It looks like we lack two shards."

InuTaisho, who had been silent until now, spoke from his place in the corner. "Sakura, do you sense any shards nearby?"

Sakura pursed her lips and felt around with her aura. She shook her head. "No."

Akira stoked the fire in the middle of their group. "Well, 'till Sakura senses anything, ye had all better rest for the night."

Saya nodded in agreement. "Today was…difficult. We should rest and then set out again in the morning."

Kazue stood and stretched. "Any ideas on which way to go?" He peered down at InuYasha. "InuYasha, you've done this before. Any ideas?"

InuYasha folded his arms into his sleeves. "Maybe we should head North or South. I'm not too eager to head West again."

Sakura slipped the jewel into its protective cloth pouch. "In the morning, I'll try to sense something again. If I don't sense anything, I guess we just start walking."

The others agreed. InuYasha and InuTaisho stood and quietly left the small hut as the others began to pull out futons and prepare to sleep for the night. InuYasha glanced at his son.

"Are you going to talk to her?" He asked gently.

InuTaisho looked away. "What is there to say?"

InuYasha smacked his son upside the head. InuTaisho yowled and rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

InuYasha shrugged. "It just seemed like the thing to do." He walked away and leapt up into the branches of a nearby tree.

InuTaisho huffed in annoyance. He turned on his heel and reentered the hut. The others looked up at him, everything from worry to fear etched on their faces.

Sakura sat up. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk." He said simply.

Sakura nodded slowly and stood. She followed him out of the hut and out of the village. They were in the middle of the dark forest before he stopped and turned to face her.

Sakura twisted her fingers together, nervously. "Well, I guess I know what this is about."

"Why didn't you come to me?" He demanded.

She winced. "Akira and Saya said it was best to keep it a secret so we could all focus on the quest and because the pup would have your grandfather's blood in it."

InuTaisho's anger deflated. "Well...that's logical." He sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. "I should have confronted you when I first found out."

Sakura moved towards him and hugged him. He slowly returned her embrace. He tangled his fingers in her soft hair and held her closer. "We both screwed up. No pun intended." Sakura muttered.

InuTaisho chuckled lightly. "Yes, we did. But, you know what?" He tilted her head back and stared into her sparkling chocolate eyes. "I would not have done anything different that night."

A delicate blush painted Sakura's cheeks. They both leaned closer to each other. Sakura's eyelids began to droop until she gasped and they flew open again. InuTaisho and Sakura moved away from each other quickly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, gripping her shoulders.

"I sense a shard!"

He released her shoulders and took her hand. They began running back to the village. "Where?"

"We're running away from it!" She said, glancing over her shoulder.

He followed her gaze. "South." He informed her.

They reached the village and ran faster to Akira's hut. InuYasha was already waiting for them. Shippou and Myoga were with him. They slowed to a stop before them.

"You sensed a shard." InuYasha stated.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah."

"How'd you know?" InuTaisho asked.

InuYasha sneered down at Myoga. "Myoga waited until he and Shippou returned to tell us that there was a yokai in the south with a shard."

Shippou huffed. "Some things never change. Always running from danger!"

Myoga hung his head. "Shippou and I would have been no match for it."

"Are the others awake?" InuTaisho asked. He didn't really care about their disagreement.

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah. Saya is changing."

Sakura glanced around. "Where's Kazue?"

They heard a small scream, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and a shout of pain. They groaned.

"Pervert." Sakura muttered.

"Think he would have his priorities." InuTaisho grumbled.

**V**

Minutes later, the inu-tachi were heading towards the shard's aura. Though the humans were tired, they forced themselves to stay awake. Sakura had taken some more of Akira's herbs and her sickness was staying at bay. She directed the group from InuTaisho's back as they rushed through the woods.

"How many shards do you feel?" InuYasha asked.

Sakura closed her eyes and opened her senses. "Just one." She answered. They all felt a little disheartenment at that.

"Well, at least we almost have this one. Then, we'll just have one more to find!" Shippou tried to cheer up everyone.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes. "Then the real challenge begins."

No one spoke after InuYasha's dreadful insight. They knew he was right. Once they restored the jewel, there was still the matter of whether or not Kagome could be brought back. Sakura shook her head to clear it.

"We'll worry about that later. Let's just focus on the present." Kazue nodded in agreement.

There was silence for a few more moments. The only sounds were of Yuuna, InuTaisho, and InuYasha's feet slapping against the hard ground. InuYasha and InuTaisho's ears soon began to swivel. Sakura tightened her hold on InuTaisho as she felt him tense below her.

Yuuna also began to act anxiously. Saya leaned closer to her large head. "What's wrong, Yuuna?" Yuuna hissed faintly. Saya sat back. "Do you feel it too?" She asked the hanyous.

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah. I think it's Takeshi. He was pretty pissed that I took his shards."

Sakura looked over at InuYasha. "I can sense a strong…presence. Is that what you're talking about?"

InuYasha nodded. "It's my brother's son."

Sakura pursed her lips. "Is that bad? Because I think he's heading towards the shard."

InuYasha sped up and the others followed his lead. "Possibly," he answered.

As the trees began to give way to rocky terrain, Yuuna and the hanyous had to start jumping from boulder to boulder. It was nearing midnight and the moon loomed above them brightly. They could hear the ocean off in the distance.

"Well, Myoga. Can you tell us what we're up against?" InuTaisho called over his shoulder.

"Well, I do believe that it is just a regular, low class yokai. It should be an easy victory." Myoga called back from Yuuna's ear.

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "You were afraid of a weak yokai? You're more cowardly than I though."

Myoga's face grew red from anger and he jumped up. "InuYasha-sama! I am not a coward! I just knew that Shippou and I could not take that yokai alone. He was big and brainless with a Shikon shard. Those are almost as bad as the humanoid yokais with a shard."

InuTaisho snorted. "Yeah, well. You're tiny and brainless with access to a large Shikon shard. How do think that makes us feel?"

Myoga glowered as the others laughed. He shook his head. "All kidding aside, you should take its size into consideration, young masters."

"Keh! The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" InuYasha shouted, speeding up slightly.

Sakura straightened a little atop InuTaisho. "It's getting closer. About a mile away!" The others quickened their pace in response, trailing behind InuYasha.

They were closing in quickly. Around them, the ground began to quiver as if an earthquake was rocking their island home.

"Earthquake?" Sakura asked InuTaisho.

InuYasha shook his head. "No. It's the yokai." He answered in InuTaisho's place. He growled. "Myoga! You didn't mention that it was a giant!"

Myoga hopped to one of Yuuna's tails, barely managing to hold on to her fur. "I hinted at it, mi'Lord. Now, good luck!" With that, he released Yuuna's fur and was carried away with the wind like a leaf.

"He…just left us." Saya blinked in surprise.

"Some things never change." InuYasha and Shippou grumbled.

The ground shook severely. Cries of surprise and pain rang out from the group as they were thrown to the ground. InuTaisho and InuYasha immediately sprang back to their feet. Shippou and Yuuna were next and the humans were quick to follow. Saya touched Sakura's shoulder.

"You okay?" She asked. Sakura nodded.

InuYasha unsheathed his fang and InuTaisho followed suit with his sword. The others prepared with their own respective attacks, going on the defensive, waiting for the offense to show itself.

Their preparation was rewarded when from behind a massive boulder slowly stood an even more massive giant yokai. It was a sickly green color with black horns curling from its oval shaped head, where stringy brown hair grew in thin tuffs. A dingy, brown groin cloth was its only clothing and a pot belly hung over it, jiggling as it moved. Its face held no emotion. It looked rather dense, honestly.

"Ew." Sakura scrunched her nose.

"Well, it looks like it'll be an easy defeat." Saya encouraged lightly.

"Sakura, where's the shard?" InuYasha called over his shoulder.

Sakura became serious. She searched the yokai with her eyes and miko sight. She sneered in disgust when she spotted the shard impeded in the yokai's navel. She pointed up at it. "It's in its belly button."

"Oh, the joys never stop with you guys." Kazue piped up.

Golden aura swirled around the Tetsusaiga as InuYasha narrowed his eyes at it. "This joy will stop here if I kill it now!" He hefted the fang over his shoulder and took off running.

He shouted out as he swung the Tetsusaiga in a wide arch, sending a cascade of yellow energy towards the motionless yokai. The inu-tachi covered their eyes as dirt and debris flew through the air.

The air slowly cleared and they peaked open their eyes. The yokai had been destroyed and the shard was slowly falling to the ground. They blinked.

"That was…too easy." InuTaisho stated, his eyes darting around.

InuYasha slowly walked towards it and reached down for it. Sakura gasped and lurched forward, her arm out stretched.

"InuYasha! It's a fake!" She screamed.

InuYasha pulled his hand back and leapt away just in time to keep from being caught in a cloud of black smoke that shot out from the fake shard. InuTaisho grabbed Sakura and jumped back with her. Saya pulled a metallic gas mask over her face as Yuuna flew up into the air, carrying her, Shippou, and Kazue.

"It's a miasma!" Kazue shouted.

InuYasha covered his face with his hoari sleeve. "Oh really?" He sarcastically grumbled through the red material.

The gas slowly dissipated, leaving a melted crater where the shard had been. Yuuna circled in the air. Sakura peaked over InuTaisho's shoulder.

"What was that?" She asked. "It felt just like a real shard until it was about to explode."

InuYasha carefully approached the edge of the small crater. He kneeled next to it and examined it curiously. "It was a trap." He replied.

"Who would set a trap? I thought Aya was are only enemy." InuTaisho asked, releasing Sakura and going to his father.

InuYasha stood and turned to face him. "Do you sense Takeshi anymore?"

They all felt out for the yokai's aura and shook their heads. Sakura moved to stand by InuTaisho's side. "Why would Takeshi set a trap?"

InuYasha folded his arms. "Well, like I said, he wasn't too happy about my taking his shards. I think he got here before us and took the real shard."

"Why does he want a shard?" InuTaisho asked.

"My guess is that he wants to prove something to Sesshomaru." InuYasha sheathed his fang.

"Let's go to Sesshomaru, then." Sakura piped up.

InuYasha raised a brow at her. "Are you a baka? Sesshomaru would hate you because you've diluted the old man's blood."

Sakura crossed her arms over her breasts. "Fine. Since I'm such a whore, I'll go off alone to find the last shard while you all go after Takeshi's."

The others were stunned speechless. Determination flashed in Sakura's chocolate eyes. "That's what I thought. We're going as a group."

**X**

The inu-tachi now found themselves traveling rapidly towards the West. Sakura spoke up every once in awhile, informing the others that the presence of a jewel shard was getting ever closer.

As Sesshomaru's stone fortress came into view, the hanyous and Yuuna sped up their paces, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. A familiar inu-yokai stood guard outside the main gate. InuYasha slowed to a walk and the others followed suit.

The violet haired yokai grinned at seeing InuYasha. "Long time no visit, InuYasha!" He called to them.

"Hiro, is Takeshi or Sesshomaru here?" InuYasha asked, getting right to the point.

Hiro nodded. "Yeah. Takeshi-sama just tore through here like the devil was at his heels. I think Sesshomaru-sama is in his study." He stepped aside to grant them access.

InuYasha peered over his shoulder. "InuTaisho and I will go alone. The rest of you stay here." He ordered before walking pass Hiro and entering the gates.

Sakura huffed as she slid from InuTaisho's back and watched the two inu-hanyous calmly walk through the courtyard. Hiro sniffed delicately and his eyes widened. He turned his gaze to Sakura for a moment before averting it discreetly. He could smell the pup inside her womb.

**V**

InuYasha lead InuTaisho through the winding hallways and corridors of their family's castle. They paused outside a screen on one of the upper levels. Voices could be heard from within. Since InuYasha had no manners to speak of, it did not bother him in the least to ease drop.

"…you how worthless they are the first time." Sesshomaru's voice was stern and full of disappointment.

"Takeshi. Didn't you have another shard before?" Rin's voice asked, trying to keep the peace.

There was a growl from within the room. "InuYasha stole my shards so I was forced to locate this one. I left a fake one in its place containing a powerful miasma."

"Why would you do that? InuYasha never wanted power from the shards. At least, not in centuries, anyway." Rin asked.

"That is a chance I am not willing to take, Mother Rin."

There was movement from within the room. A tall shadow appeared behind the screen the inu-hanyous stood before. The screen opened and Sesshomaru stood in the door way, a frown on his pale face.

"Little Brother, spying is beneath our blood line." Sesshomaru scolded lightly.

InuYasha smirked. "I'm just here for the jewel shard and then I'll leave."

Sesshomaru turned away from InuYasha and went to stand before Takeshi. "I have had enough of this foolishness. Give InuYasha the shard so I no longer have to smell his putrid odor."

InuTaisho chuckled behind his hand while InuYasha glowered. Takeshi sneered. "Father!"

"Now, Takeshi! This has gone on long enough. This whole fixation is a waste of time." Sesshomaru hissed.

Takeshi's eyes became slits as he tossed InuYasha the shard, who caught it in one fluid movement. "Why do you want it?" InuYasha asked.

Takeshi crossed his arms. "I thought it would enhance my power enough to defeat my father. I wanted to overcome him in strength."

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed with surprise before darkening. "One weak jewel shard is not enough to overcome me."

"Hm. Like father, like son." InuYasha murmured as the inu-hanyous made their retreat.

Sesshomaru snarled. "You are one to talk InuYasha."

Rin placed a restraining hand on his arm, sensing a brotherly brawl about to begin. InuYasha and InuTaisho briskly made their way out of the castle.

**V**

When the rest of the inu-tachi spotted InuYasha and InuTaisho they rushed to them. InuYasha smirked and held the shard out to Sakura. She smiled and she took it from him and placed it in the pouch with the mostly completed jewel.

"Just one more!" She cheered.

"That didn't take long. Did he just hand it over?" Kazue asked.

InuYasha nodded. "Yeah. Takeshi just wanted it so that he could overcome Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru wasn't going to have any of that, though."

Hiro approached them. "You're hunting jewel shards again?" He asked.

The group turned to him. "Yeah. Why?" InuYasha asked.

Hiro pursed his lips. "The other day Ayame was over in the northern inu-yokai lands and she told me that one of the inu-yokai princesses had fallen ill. As I'm sure you know, that is something unheard of in most yokais."

InuYasha raised a brow. "What does that have to do with us?"

Hiro leaned closer. "Her suitor, an inu-yokai from the southern lands, is rumored to have a shard of a precious jewel."

The inu-tachi eyed each other. "Well, it's a lead." InuTaisho stated.

With a curt nod, InuYasha thanked Hiro and the inu-tachi resumed their quest.

* * *

Review please!

~Azarath101


	18. The Last Shard

I own nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**The Last Shard**

_**Previously on InuTaisho**_

_InuTaisho and Sakura try to have a private conversation together about the child, but are interrupted when Sakura senses a shard. The inu-tachi head south, only to have to turn around and head to Sesshomaru's castle, where Takeshi has taken the shard to overtake Sesshomaru. The inu-tachi easily reclaims the shard thanks to Sesshomaru. They then head north, to where the last shard is rumored to be._

**X**

Dawn was fast approaching and the humans were beginning to tire. Sakura dozed lightly on InuTaisho's back from where he lagged behind the others. He glanced up at her and carefully sped up to InuYasha, who was in the lead.

"InuYasha. I think we should take a break. The humans are getting tired and Sakura could probably use some sleep." He whispered.

InuYasha frowned lightly. "As much as I don't want to stop, you're right. We'll stop at the next riverbank."

Saya urged Yuuna up to their sides. "I can go on. I've been trained for it. Yuuna and I can continue on ahead."

InuYasha raised a brow. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yes. I can go three days without sleep."

Kazue leaned around her. "I can also continue on for a while longer."

InuYasha looked back at Shippou. "You okay too?"

Shippou nodded. "Yeah."

"Ok, we'll take a quick break and then we'll continue the rest of the way. Sakura needs to get some sleep though." He glanced at InuTaisho. "You two continue on when she's ready."

InuTaisho nodded as Sakura continued to nap on his back. The group returned to their easy pace, enjoying the calm, easy morning. InuTaisho peeked again at Sakura. He really wanted to continue on to find the final shard, but Sakura needed to take a break because she would get sick if she didn't. Also, he wouldn't mind the time alone with her to discuss the matters at hand.

He could smell and hear a small stream not too far ahead of them. "InuYasha!" He called quietly.

The older inu-hanyou nodded, signaling that he knew. The group sped up slightly, eager to stop for a meal and a quick break. They found the small stream on the edge of a curve on the path they were traveling. Yuuna's riders jumped down and began to stretch their arms and legs. InuTaisho carefully pulled Sakura from his back and into his arms. He carried her a little ways away from where the others were talking and joking and laid her down after removing her backpack. With a small smile on her peaceful face, she curled into a ball on the soft patch of grass and slept on. InuTaisho smiled down at her, amazed by her simple beauty and how she slept so soundly.

InuTaisho then took her bag to the others and set it on the ground. Saya knelt before it and opened it, searching for food and supplies. While Saya gathered breakfast, Shippou began to build a small cooking fire.

Finding what she needed, Saya brought the bowls of breakfast Raman to the fire and with help from InuYasha, began to bowl water. He glanced over at her.

"How do you know so much about stuff from Sakura's world?" He asked.

Saya smiled. "Some things were passed down, while others Sakura told me about herself."

Once the water was boiling, they carefully poured some into each bowl. The smell of cooked food soon filled the small camp area and the inu-tachi dug into the Styrofoam bowls of futuristic food.

Keeping in mind that Sakura was sleeping, they kept their conversations quiet. Once they had finished, they tossed the remains into the small fire, unaware of the dangers to the environment by doing so. Shippou and Saya then took some of the medical supplies from Sakura's bag and placed them into Saya's furoshik.

InuTaisho watched the others prepare to leave as he settled into the branches of a tree near Sakura. All except InuYasha called a goodbye to him before they set out again. He nodded in reply and then turned his attention to the slumbering Sakura. He wondered how long she would sleep. He didn't want her to get sick, but he really wanted to go with the others and find the last shard. He looked towards the sky. The sun had already risen.

**X**

"Sakura's world truly is an amazing place. It has such wonderful goods." Kazue commented as they traveled towards the north.

InuYasha tensed lightly. "She must be from a time different than Kagome. Her stuff was different than Kagome's. And Kagome's Ninja Food tasted better."

Shippou nodded as he looked up at InuYasha. "Yeah!"

Saya giggled lightly. "Now, guys. Beggars can't be choosers. Just be thankful that we have Sakura to assist us on our journey."

Kazue nodded. "Such wise words, Saya-chan." His hand moved a little closer to her thigh and her elbow shot back and nailed him in the stomach. Kazue's eyes widened in pain as he doubled over. The others sighed heavily.

**X**

Sakura felt warm, like she was lying under a heat lamp. It was a rather relaxing feeling. She sighed and rolled over, feeling grass tickle her cheek. Grass? Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly. She was sitting next to a stream just off of a well traveled path. A burnt out campfire smoked not to far from her. She glanced around and found no one else.

Shooting to her feet, she began to call for her friends. "InuTaisho? Saya? Shippou? Guys! Kazue? InuYasha?" Fear began to grip her heart when no one answered her. Her chest heaved as she fought to control her emotions.

Someone grabbed her shoulder from behind and she screamed shrilly. She wheeled around and through everything she had into a punch into her attackers face. She heard a familiar shout as the surprise attack knocked the person back. Sakura gasped and knelt beside him.

"InuTaisho! I'm sorry!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Who taught you to punch?"

"My dad. Why?" She replied.

InuTaisho rubbed his red cheek. "He did a damn good job for a human."

Sakura smiled for a moment before becoming serious. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm a hanyou, remember? It takes more than a simple punch to out me. Just remind me to stay on your good side, alright?"

Sakura looked around. "Where are the others?"

"They headed out this morning to find the last shard. I stayed behind with you because you needed to rest." InuTaisho mumbled the last part, blushing.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you, that was nice of you."

"Yeah, yeah. How are you feeling?" He asked, directing the attention away from himself.

She placed a hand over her suddenly rumbling stomach. "I'm a little hungry."

InuTaisho stood and went to the dying campfire. She stood and joined him. He turned and handed her a cup of Raman.

"It's probably cold by now." He grumbled.

Sakura smiled and shrugged. "That's fine." She tilted it to her lips and began to drink and swallow it. She glanced around, feeling awkward. "I…um, guess we should follow the others."

InuTaisho folded his arms. "Not just yet."

Sakura swallowed her mouthful. "Why?"

"Well, first, you're still eating. And second we didn't get to finish talking about…that." He pointed at her stomach.

Sakura glanced down and then blushed. "Oh, yeah."

"Well, are you leaving once we finish the jewel?"

She refused to look up at him. "InuTaisho…"

**X**

The rest of the inu-tachi were quickly coming up on the castle that the northern inu-yokais lived in. InuYasha slowed and others followed. Saya peered at the castle.

"The guard looks…doubled." She said, awed.

InuYasha nodded. She was right. There was a small army scattered around the perimeter and walls of the castle.

"It seems that Hiro was right. The princess must be sick or they would not have wasted time posting guards." InuYasha briefly wondered how they would get into the castle.

"InuYasha, is your family on good terms with this pack?" Shippou asked.

InuYasha shrugged. "I don't know. Sesshomaru doesn't talk to me about that stuff."

"Well, we better hope for the best. Look." Kazue pointed ahead to where a group of soldiers were gathering together and heading towards them.

The inu-tachi closed ranks and stopped, allowing the soldiers to come to them. Whereas Sesshomaru and InuYasha's clan were pale, these inu-yokais were dark. Black hair flowed down their backs and cyan eyes narrowed at the visiting group suspiciously. The yokai at the head of the group reached from his sword.

"Identify yourselves."

The inu-tachi looked to InuYasha. He glanced at the others and sighed, "Fine." He then took a step forward, thinking back centuries ago to when his mother had attempted to teach him etiquette. "I'm InuYasha." Well…it was a start.

The leader lowered his hand from his sword hilt. "_The _InuYasha?"

InuYasha raised a brow. "That depends."

"Sesshomaru-sama of the Western lands' half-breed brother, InuYasha?" He clarified.

InuYasha growled faintly. "Got a problem with half-breeds?"

Kazue placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Yes, this hanyou is the one in question."

The leader looked over his shoulder. "Someone alert the lord." Two soldiers from the back scampered away.

"Is that good?" Shippou whispered to Saya.

The leader yokai turned to face Shippou. "That's for us to know and you to find out." He turned and motioned for them to follow him and the remaining three yokais to the castle.

The group eyed each other before following.

**X**

"Are you?" InuTaisho inquired again, his voice desperate.

Sakura closed her eyes and shrank into herself, her grip tightening on her flimsy cup. "I…thought about it."

She gasped when he grabbed her shoulders. She dropped her cup, the remaining broth and noodles spilling on them before falling to the ground. Neither cared.

"Why?" He demanded.

Sakura stared up into his golden eyes, her own wide with fright. "I don't want my child to grow up here; encouraged to be a monster. You and InuYasha seem to think that it's okay to lapse in control. I don't want that for my baby."

InuTaisho released her and turned away from her. "And you think that Kagome or Izayoi wanted that for us? They didn't get scared and run home."

Sakura stepped closer to him, her hand reaching for him before falling back down. "InuTaisho…"

He looked towards the sky. "Sakura. I'm sure that InuYasha had it rough because of how strong his yokai blood is. I sometimes have a hard time. I know that our pup will, too. But, aisuru," He turned back to face her. "I want to help him through it. And I can't do that if you take him away from me. Sakura, he will need both of us."

Sakura's vision swam as tears collected in her eyes. "InuTaisho…"

**X**

The castle of the northern inu-yokais was just as magnificent as Sesshomaru's. However, where Sesshomaru's castle and followers were draped in gold and pale colors, the colors that dominated this castle were cyan and dark colors. They saw no humans and more guards posted through out the castle.

"May I be so bold as to inquire if the rumors about your princess being taken ill are true?" Kazue asked.

"We are not in a position to answer that, human." The leader yokai, who had identified himself as Ken, replied harshly.

Kazue raised his brows at Saya. She pursed her lips. His response caused them all to believe it to be true. InuYasha tried to think of the names of the lord and his mate, but he could not. He growled to himself in frustration. The one time he actually needed his knowledge of the insides of the ruling class of the inu-yokais, and he could remember nothing.

Ken stopped them before the massive screen that divided them from the lord's council. Two yokais stood outside the door.

"The lord has been expecting you." The one on the left said.

The one on the right pulled the screen open. The inu-tachi followed Ken into the front room. The inu-lord sat in a large, brass throne like chair. His mate sat beside him in a smaller one. More guards were posted inside.

"InuYasha. I see Sesshomaru-sama has you doing his social work now." The inu-lord spoke to him. His raven black hair was pulled back in a high pony tail, no bangs covered his face. His cyan eyes narrowed at the visitors suspiciously. He wore fine silk robes colored violet.

"Sesshomaru does his own work. I'm here on my own business." InuYasha answered, barely managing to keep the growl out of his voice.

The Diayokai raised a skeptical brow. "What business may that be, half-breed?"

InuYasha's brow twitched. "We heard rumors about there being a Shikon no Tetsu shard here. And it may be linked to your daughter's illness."

The female inu-yokai at his side leaned forward, her eyes full of worry. Her raven colored hair fell to the floor where it pooled around her violet skirts. "Mizuki's illness may be linked to the shard?"

Deciding to speak up, as he was the better versed in the ways of dealing with people –and yokais-, Kazue took a step closer to the Diayokais, the guard moving closer in response. "It is a possibility, mi'Lord and Lady. May we please ask for a council with the princess and whoever has possession of the shard?"

The female opened her mouth, but quickly closed it when her mate stood abruptly. "This is preposterous! Mizuki's sickness has nothing to do with that fickle shard! Sesshomaru merely wants it to gain power and sent you misfits to do his dirty work!"

InuYasha pushed Kazue back. "Sesshomaru wants nothing to do with the shards! I'm the one who wants it! But if it is tainted, it could be causing your daughter to be frail!"

The lady of the manor stood, her hand clutching her robes over her heart. "Katsu-sama…"

The lord, Katsu, glanced back at his mate. "What, Reiko?"

She averted her cyan eyes. "If these people can help Mizuki, I say let them try. If she dies before she mates with Yuuta, our lands will be destroyed."

Katsu-sama puffed out his chest, his eyes flashing black. He knew his mate was correct in saying this, but he did not like to be one-upped. He turned back to the inu-tachi. "Very well," he snapped. "You have one hour to investigate Mizuki's illness and Yuuta's shard. However, if you find that you are false, it will be your deaths."

Shippou shivered and moved closer to Saya. Kazue nodded. "Of course, mi'Lord. Mi'Lady."

Reiko-sama stepped down from the stage that the two thrones sat upon. She ignored her mate's growls of protest. She waved away the guards that moved to her side. "Now, if you would follow me, InuYasha-tachi, I would be more than pleased to show you Mizuki and Yuuta."

**X**

"InuTaisho, I…I understand what you're saying, but…" Sakura looked down. Her eyes closed and tears dripped from her eyes. She shoulder shook with her repressed sobs.

InuTaisho grabbed her shoulders roughly and forced her to look up at him. "But what, Sakura?"

She shook her head. "I can't just leave my family alone. Kaito needs me."

InuTaisho released her shoulders and stepped away from her. "It has to do with that girl, doesn't it?"

Sakura's face became blank. "What girl?"

"The girl in your picture book. The one you told me about. Your sister, Akako."

Sakura folded her arms over her chest and looked away from him. "Akako has nothing to do with this."

"Sakura…I understand the way you feel about your brother and sister. But, you need to also consider yourself and our pup. You both need to stay here. Going back to the future won't be good for the pup. You don't have to allow yourself to suffer because Kaito blames himself. It wasn't either of your faults."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Kaito needs me. I can't leave him alone. Father doesn't understand. And Gramma will only be around for so much longer."

InuTaisho moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to his chest. Sakura was startled by his slightly uncharacteristic show of affection. "You can't fight Kaito's battles for himself. You need to help him move on, by moving on yourself."

Sakura buried her face in his chest. "You didn't see the way he looked when I came back. His eyes were blank, like all the light had left him. I never want to see him like that again."

Sakura began to cry again. InuTaisho held the back of her head as her tears dampened his hoari.

**X**

Reiko-sama led them to the second floor of the palace. She paused outside a room about halfway down the hallway. She rapped quietly on the screen. A soft murmur could be heard on the other side, followed by movement. A shadow appeared on the other side of the screen briefly before it opened to reveal an inu-yokai male. His black hair flowed down his black and his eyes were completely black, and stood out in his pale face. He wore black robes.

Reiko-sama nodded her head. "Yuuta-sama. How is Mizuki faring?"

Yuuta moved aside and allowed Reiko-sama and the inu-tachi to view the tiny inu-yokai girl curled on a futon in the middle of the room. Her cyan eyes were dull and barely hung open, her white sleeping kimono was wrinkled and seemed to swallow her thin body. She panted lightly, appearing as if breathing was hard on her frail body. Her raven locks were pulled back into a messy bun, allowing for a few strands of bangs to hang in her face. She glanced up at them weakly.

Reiko-sama choked back a sob and turned away from her daughter. She turned her pain filled eyes to InuYasha. "Please. Save my daughter." She whispered before hurrying away, no longer wishing to see her dying child.

InuYasha's heart lurched. He knew was it was like to witness a child on their deathbed. It was not something he would wish on anyone. Well, maybe Naraku, but he was dead.

Yuuta ghosted back to Mizuki's futonside. He did not look up at them as the inu-tachi entered. Kazue kneeled beside Mizuki. The small yokai did not respond to him as he examined her; she merely looked up at Yuuta with wide, frightened eyes.

"Mizuki-sama, can you tell me when you started feeling sick?" Saya asked as she kneeled beside Kazue.

Mizuki glanced at the human female. "Since my betrothal."

InuYasha narrowed his eyes at Yuuta. "Hey, Yuuta. Do you have a Shikon shard?"

The scary looking yokai turned his eyes towards the hanyou. "You have nerve speaking to me that way, halfbreed."

Mizuki squealed and began to cough loudly as InuYasha rushed at Yuuta, grabbing him by his hoari collar. "It's making her sick, runt. Hand it over."

Yuuta's eyes held no emotions. "Why should I?"

"'Cause if you don't, I'll just beat you and take it."

Mizuki screamed out in pain as Yuuta's eyes began to burn like black fire. Saya and Kazue held the screaming yokai as they looked up at InuYasha and Yuuta. Yuuta's hand snaked up and within his fingers a glowing black shard was clasped tightly.

InuYasha released his hold on Yuuta and slammed a punch to his face, sending him flying backwards, collapsing against the wall. Footsteps could be heard rushing from the hall. The screen was thrown open and several guards rushed in followed by Reiko-sama.

"Get them out of here!" He barked to Shippou.

Shippou sent a wave of his Fox Fire at them, causing them to rush back to escape being burnt. Shippou then used his Fox Magic to create a large Kami statue that took up the door way. He finished it by placing a spell over it that would make it too strong for even a thousand pure yokais to lift.

InuYasha rushed at Yuuta as he jerked to his feet, his face distorted as his yokai began to take over.

"Kuso!" InuYasha shouted as Yuuta sent a red wave of energy at him. He barely rolled out of the way.

Mizuki screamed louder as red energy began to swirl around Yuuta. Saya held the girl tighter, trying to calm her thrashing. "He's using the shard to absorb her yokai energy to make himself stronger!" She called out.

InuYasha growled as he noticed the pulsating, impure shard in Yuuta's clutches. "We need Sakura!" His eyes landed on a window briefly before turning to Shippou. "Runt! Go fetch Sakura and InuTaisho! And hurry!"

Shippou darted for the window. "What about you all?" He asked as InuYasha kept Yuuta from going after the kitsune.

"I'll hold him off! Just _go_!"

Shippou nodded and jumped from the window. He transformed and flew off quickly towards where they had left InuTaisho and Sakura.

* * *

Review please.

~Azarath101


	19. Battle for the Last Shard

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've changed my user name. I own nothing.

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**Chapter 18**

**Battle for the Last Shard**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_The inu-tachi stops to make camp. Sakura and InuTaisho stay behind while the others head to the northern inu-yokai castle. InuTaisho and Sakura talk again about the child. Once the rest of the inu-tachi find the shard, InuYasha realizes they need Sakura in order to get the shard. Shippou goes after Sakura and InuTaisho._

**X**

After awhile, Sakura's crying stopped and they both decided to leave things the way they were and come back to them later. They had wasted enough time and they needed to head towards the last shard.

**V**

Shippou was perhaps a mile from where they had left InuTaisho and Sakura. She sped up once he saw them heading towards him.

"Sakura! InuTaisho!" He called.

They glanced up. Upon seeing him, they hurried towards him. Sakura held open her arms for the small child size kitsune to jump into. He stared wide eyed at her.

"Sakura, we need to hurry back to the castle. InuYasha needs your help!" He fretted.

She raised a brow. "My help? I'm just a weak human."

"Your miko powers." Shippou reminded the girl.

"Oh, yeah." Sakura turned to InuTaisho. "Well, it would be fastest if we rode on your back."

InuTaisho nodded and kneeled beside her, allowing her and Shippou to climb on his back. Once they were secured, InuTaisho jumped up and ran. Sakura squealed and held tightly to his back as the wind whipped her hair around her face.

**X**

Yuuta raised his pale hand and another energy blast shot out from it. InuYasha barrel rolled to the side, again barely managing to escape the flying rubble caused by the wall being blown out. Saya and Kazue cover Mizuki with their bodies, protecting her from the flying stone. Mizuki whimpered.

Growling, InuYasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. He pointed the transformed fang at Yuuta threateningly. "You've caused enough damage. Just hand over the shard."

Yuuta's eyes flickered to the fang, bored. "A hanyou dare point his fang at me?"

InuYasha bristled. "Don't sound so cocky, runt. Just because you have a tainted shard doesn't mean you have any real power. You're using power stolen from Mizuki."

Yuuta's eyes flashed dangerously as he snarled. "Mizuki is just a pathetic bitch. No woman deserves that kind of power and I refuse to be the submissive of our mating."

Saya jerked up. "That's what this is about? Your ego?" Her eyes narrowed. "What a typical male."

Yuuta turned his gaze towards the slayer. "I would watch my tongue if I were you, woman." He raised his hand, fingers spread wide. Red energy glowed around his outstretched hand.

Saya's eyes widened as she realized she was his target and she refused to move because Mizuki would be exposed. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain. She yelped when she felt the winds of energy blasts ruffle her hair. She peeked open her eyes to see that InuYasha had blocked the attack with one of his own.

"Leave them alone. Your fight is with me, Yuuta." He snarled.

Yuuta narrowed his eyes at the hanyou. "Very well. You'll all die soon enough."

A bead of sweat rolled down InuYasha's face as he tightened his grip on the Tetsusaiga. He needed to think of a plan to keep Yuuta busy until Sakura arrived with her purification powers. Once she had purified the shard, Yuuta would be an easy victory. If he had to draw on Mizuki's powers and those of a single shard to have his power, then he had to be weak. He had admitted as much.

Another energy blast soared towards InuYasha. He cut it in half with his fang, simultaneously sending his Wind Scar at Yuuta. The area around Yuuta exploded; more stone and wood flying through the air. The inu-tachi covered their eyes, waiting for it to clear. Yuuta's shadow appeared amongst the fading smoke.

"He's still standing?" Kazue gasped.

Yuuta's face was twisted into a sickening leer. There wasn't a scratch on his perfect skin. "Is that all you have, half breed?"

InuYasha growled.

Saya glanced around nervously. "Guys, this might be a little late to say this, but maybe we should take this battle outside so we don-" She was interrupted by the creaking of wood and stone. She and the others screamed out as the floor gave way and they plummeted to the room below. Dirt and debris flying around them.

**X**

InuTaisho was gaining on the castle and quickly. Shippou squinted and pointed ahead.

"Where's all the guard? There was an army out here when I left?"

As he finished, the castle fell in on itself, screams erupting from within. Shippou yelled out as Sakura screamed shrilly. InuTaisho's ears flattened against his head as his eyes widened.

"InuYasha and the others were in there!" Shippou yelled.

"Oh my Kami! Saya and Kazue are human!" Sakura yelled in return, her grip tightening on InuTaisho.

InuTaisho slid to a halt and Shippou and Sakura scrambled off his back, joining him at his sides. Within the destroyed castle, giant black inu-yokais that were similar to Sesshomaru's true form sprang up. They moved away, some dragging weaker yokais with them. Sakura squinted trying to see InuYasha and the others.

"I don't see them. Oh gods."

InuTaisho ran forward, unsheathing his sword. Sakura raced behind him, readying her bow, with Shippou at her heels.

**X**

InuYasha groaned and lifted his hand, he shoved a board away from him and it rolled off his back. He pushed himself up by his arms, glancing around. His blood ran cold at the sight before him.

Saya and Kazue's arms were wrapped around the others; their bodies broken and battered as they stared at him with glazed over, unseeing eyes. Bile rose in his throat as crimson blood slowly stained the ground around them, pouring like wine from where a pillar had impaled them.

His eyes flashed red. Saya and Jun were the only two living decedents of Sango and Miroku. It felt like he had betrayed them by allowing Saya to be murdered. And Kazue had been important to Saya. He had failed his friends.

He sneered as he reclaimed his fang, his eyes turning red. He did not fight his yokai blood as it slowly took over his body. His red eyes flickered to his left when he sensed movement. He barely recognized Mizuki as she pushed a pillar off of her. Coughing, she rolled to her side and gazed up at him.

"InuYasha-sama…please…stop Yuuta." She begged him.

InuYasha nodded and turned away from her. He could not sense Yuuta. He swore as he twirled slowly, his gaze darting around, searching. He stopped when he saw InuTaisho, Sakura, and Shippou rushing towards him. Sakura saw Saya and Kazue and screamed as she fell to her knees. Tears rushed from her face as she blubbered about how she should have been there and it was all her fault.

It wasn't though. It was his. He should have never brought any of them with him. This was his mission, not theirs.

His attention was diverted when he sensed a small spark of yokai energy behind him. He whirled, but was too slow. Yuuta blasted him back and he flew through the air, knocking into InuTaisho as he rushed towards them. They fell to the ground in a heap.

Yuuta's penetrating gaze cut to Sakura. He ghosted towards her and she looked up at him fearfully. With clumsy hands, she notched an arrow, but could not keep it steady. It fell from her grasp as Yuuta reached down for her, picking her up by her throat.

Her eyes bulged as his grip tightened. The inu-hanyous lurched to their feet as seeing her in danger.

"Let her go, Yuuta!" InuTaisho shouted.

The yokai shook his head. "I want your jewel, human. Give it to me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "N-never." She gasped out.

Yuuta's eyes narrowed to slits in return. "Then perish."

The hanyous and Shippou cried out as energy burned from Yuuta's hand, encasing Sakura in bright red light. Raged, InuTaisho leapt forward, his sword held high over his shoulder. Yuuta tossed Sakura casually aside and turned to face him. InuTaisho slammed his sword down, only to have Yuuta take hold of it with his bare hand. He smirked.

"Oh. She was your mate. Figures a weakly like you would choose a human."

InuTaisho snarled. "At least I don't have to steal her power for us to be equal."

Yuuta's slender black brow twitched in irritation. Sharply, he twisted his wrist to the side and InuTaisho's sword jerked to the left and down, sending him flying to the ground. Yuuta delivered a hard kick to his stomach and the hanyou gasped in pain before coughing.

InuYasha sprang forward. He unleashed his Wind Scar. Luckily, he caught Yuuta unaware, as he was enjoying seeing InuTaisho's pain. Yuuta was thrown back. InuYasha rushed to his son's side and kneeled beside him.

"InuTaisho."

The said inu-hanyou lifted his head and winced. His blurry vision locked on Sakura's still body. She was curled on her side, her eyes closed. His eyes flashed red. Since he had yet to mate with her, he could not tell if she was still alive. He could not hear her breathing, either.

InuTaisho howled in fury. He lurched to his feet, taking hold of his sword once more. He pushed InuYasha aside and ran to where Yuuta was slowly standing. Purple light encased the Fushigi Ken.

Seeing InuTaisho advancing towards him, Yuuta threw out his hand, a ball of energy larger than him shot forward, racing towards InuTaisho. He swerved to the side and swung his sword. Yuuta ducked and twirled before sending another blast at him.

InuTaisho blocked it with his sword. InuYasha appeared at Yuuta's back and prepared his own attack. Yuuta sensed him and moved to the left, forcing InuTaisho to move as well or be hit by his father's attack. Growling and snarling, the three began a deadly dance.

**V**

_A little girl with bright hazel eyes and long flowing black chestnut hair giggled loudly as she hid behind the Sacred Tree. Another girl, with matching brown hair, but with darker brown eyes, searched around their backyard for her._

_'Akako! Where are you?' She called._

_Akako, the girl behind the tree, grinned and giggled again at her twin's distress. This time, her twin heard her giggling and raced towards the Sacred Tree. Panting, she smiled and tapped her twin's shoulder._

_'You're it!' She cried victoriously._

_Akako smiled. 'You better run now, Sakura. I'll catch you!'_

_Laughing happily, Sakura turned on her tiny heels and dashed for the well house. She could hear her twin chasing her. Sakura jumped up the steps and pushing the heavy screens open, grunting as she did so. She then rushed inside and down the stairs to the well. She placed her hand on the edge and turned to look back at the screen. Her smile fell._

_Akako stood in the doorway, leaning on the edge of the screen, panting. Worry and fear crept into Sakura's heart. She raced up the steps and kneeled beside her twin._

_'Akako? Are you okay? Akako?'_

_Akako looked up into her eyes sadly. 'Why, Sakura?' Tears welled in her hazel eyes._

_Sakura gripped her twin's shoulder. 'Why what, Akako?'_

_Akako's eyes narrowed as uncharacteristic hate filled them. 'Why did you kill me?'_

**V**

Sakura gasped and jerked up. Her hands flew to her body, patting around for injuries as her memory flooded back to her. How had she survived that blast of extreme power? Her hand hit the nearly complete jewel. She pulled it from her pocket and sat up, staring at it.

The Shikon no Tetsu must have saved her. She remembered her dream. What did it mean? What did her sister mean when she had told her that she had killed her?

She was taken out of her musings when she heard an explosion. She shielded her face with her arms from flying rocks and clumps of dirt. She coughed and waited for the air to clear before peeking between her arms.

InuYasha and InuTaisho were locked into a fierce battle with Yuuta. They seemed to not notice her. She glanced around and spotted her forgotten bow and arrows. She crawled to them, careful to not draw attention to herself and grabbed hold of them. She quietly notched her arrow and slowly stood, her eyes locked on Yuuta.

She felt purity wash through her and to her weapons. She pulled the bow back, the string creaking ever-so-slightly at the tension. She used her miko powers to spot the tainted jewel. If she hit and purified it, Yuuta would be powerless and InuYasha and InuTaisho would be able to take him down.

She took a deep, calming. Her eyes became hard and with a flick of her tiny wrist, the arrow went whizzing through the air.

**V**

InuTaisho's ears flickered when he heard the whistling of an arrow. He spared a moment's worth of distraction to look towards the noise. His amber eyes widened. Sakura stood straight and tall –perfectly alive-. Her bow was held in her grasp as an arrow whizzed towards Yuuta.

"Sakura!" InuTaisho cried out.

InuYasha and Yuuta glanced up from their fighting as well. InuYasha leapt aside, but Yuuta had no time to react as the enchanted arrow pierced the jewel shard hidden inside his robes. He screamed in agony, defeat, and outrage as, on contact, the arrow purified the shard. Bright amethyst light flew from Yuuta and into Mizuki. The inu-girl gasped as her power returned and she gained the strength to stand.

She held up her hands and smiled in happiness as cyan energy surrounded her hands. Her smile turned into a grin of victory as she turned her gaze to Yuuta.

"Yuuta-kun! You have hurt people. You have murdered people. All for your greed! Prepare to suffer as they did!"

Cyan energy flowed through her, illuminating the area. She cried out as she shot every ounce of her energy at Yuuta. Unable to defend himself, Yuuta howled as the attack dematerialized him.

The light slowly faded. Exhausted from using all of her power to destroy Yuuta, Mizuki collapsed to her knees, panting. "Yuuta…" She murmured.

"Is it over?" Sakura asked.

InuTaisho quickly sheathed his sword and ran to Sakura. "Sakura!"

Sakura dropped her bow and rushed to him, meeting half way. They both smiled brightly as she jumped towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "InuTaisho!"

InuTaisho pulled back from the embrace. "I though…I thought you were dead."

Sakura looked away. "The shard protected me. But," She bit her lip as her dream came back to her.

InuTaisho cupped her cheek, turning her face to look at his. "But what?" He asked, worried this was an illusion.

She choked back a sob. "I saw Akako! And she blames me for her death!"

InuTaisho opened his mouth to reply when InuYasha broke the moment. "Hey! We don't have time for this! We have the final shard! Let's go!"

Sakura and InuTaisho nodded curtly, remembering their reason for being there. Sakura, being a miko and just a kind person, went to check on Mizuki first before they left. However, her services were not required as the weakened girl was immediately surrounded by guards.

Sensing trouble, InuTaisho yanked Sakura away. They then turned to their fallen friends. Sakura began crying again at seeing one of her best friends dead. Again, blaming herself.

Mizuki pushed her guards away. "InuYasha-tachi! I will see to it that your friends receive a proper burial. Where ever you wish for them to be buried. Just same the name, and I will see that it is done."

Tearfully, Sakura thanked her. InuTaisho began to lead her away. Shippou pounced over to their fallen friends, bowed and murmured a small prayer. He then bounded after Sakura and InuTaisho.

"Tokyo." InuYasha said simply, glancing at his comrades, nodding respectfully, and then walking away.

Sakura looked around for Yuuna, but could not find her. She worried over the neko until InuTaisho calmed her by telling her the neko had most likely went back to Tokyo.

The smaller inu-tachi began their trek back to Chiyoda. Their moods somber and determined. They were so close to their ultimate goal. So much rested on what would happen when they made their wish.

Kagome might finally be back from the dead. And Sakura still had her final decision to make: Whether or not she would stay with her unborn child.

**X**

Wearily, they made it back to Chiyoda. Night had long since fallen and the travel worn inu-tachi barely made it to their tree or futons before collapsing; exhausted from both the mental and physical stress of the day.

Akira sensed their apathy and allowed them to eat a small meal and sleep, choosing to wait until tomorrow to press them for information on the jewel and their missing friends. Though, she had an idea as to what had happened.

After seeing to their carnal needs of food and sleep, Akira too set down for an uneasy night of sleep.

The morning would bring with it not only the dawn, but either pain and heartbreak or joy and heart mending.

**X**

When the inu-tachi awoke the next morning, it was with an air of seriousness. They gathered together outside Akira's hut and then made the small journey to Tokyo, where Kagome had been laid to rest over two hundred years ago.

Jun met them. And Sakura was pleased to see Yuuna with him. Jun informed them that late in the night, northern inu-yokais had come and lay to rest Kazue and Saya. Inu-tachi tried to apologize and beg forgiveness, but Jun would not hear of it.

"They died honorably. Fighting yokais and trying to right a wrong at your sides. My sister and Kazue would not have wanted to go any other way." He told them.

That was enough for InuYasha. He figured as much, but hearing was another. His only regret about their deaths now was that he still felt as if he had failed Sango and Miroku. However, he also decided that that was another trouble for another day. He "feh"ed and began heading towards the burial site.

His heart felt heavy as he slowly made his way, followed by his friends and family, to where he had buried his mate and love. A small shrine marked the place where what remained of Kagome's remains lay. A small bundle of purple wildflowers were placed at the base. InuYasha kneeled and fingered their silky petals.

Sakura joined his, watching his hand. "Who left these flowers?"

"Rin." Jun answered. "She brings flowers here once a month."

A small smile turned up InuYasha's lips. "That's Rin for you."

Sakura pulled out the jewel and the last shard. "Well, it's now or never, guys." She met eyes with everyone in the smaller group. She felt the wind ruffle her hair and knew that Saya and Kazue were with them in spirit.

She took a deep breath and concentrated on the jewel. She just had to fuse the last shard to the rest of the jewel. With one last bright flash of amethyst light, Sakura opened her hands to reveal…the completed Shikon no Tetsu.

She glanced up. "So…who should make the wish?"

Everyone's gaze went to InuYasha before quickly falling away.

"Sakura, InuYasha, and InuTaisho should collectively make the wish." Akira said with authority.

The three glanced at each other and nodded. InuTaisho joined InuYasha and Sakura at the grave. Sakura held out the jewel in her open hands. InuYasha and InuTaisho placed theirs over the shard.

"Ye each must mediate. Be completely pure in thought before making the wish." Akira instructed.

They nodded and then closed their eyes. Silence filled the burial grounds and even the large village grew quiet, as if the residents knew what was underway. The wishers allowed peacefulness and purity to flow through them. Sakura nodded slowly as she could feel the purity working inside the jewel.

Sensing it was time, they each pictured Kagome. Each made their desire obvious.

They felt the jewel pulse and then warmth surrounded them. They opened their eyes only to close them once again at the brightness that surrounded them.

It felt likes years had passed before the warmth and light faded. When it had, the group opened their eyes and gasped. There was a large crater where Kagome's grave had been. But no Kagome.

And Sakura and the jewel were gone.

"Sakura!" InuTaisho cried out, lurching to his feet.

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Review please.

~MutantEnemy6789


	20. Shikon no Tetsu

I own nothing.

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**InuTaisho**

**Chapter 19**

**Shikon no Tetsu**

_**Previously on InuTaisho:**_

_The inu-tachi takes possession of the final shard with help from Mizuki. However, it was at a price. Saya and Kazue will killed when the castle collapsed. Sakura makes the jewel whole again and the wish is made. Sakura and the jewel disappear._

**X**

Sakura found herself in darkness, pitch black nothingness. Fear clutched her heart and she worried she had gone blind. She felt around for InuTaisho or someone, anyone, to hold onto. She felt only empty air around her. She cried out, her voice echoing in her dark world.

She felt no breeze from the air. Nor the soft grass that had been below her. She felt nothing, she saw nothing. She was nothing.

**X**

"Sakura!" InuTaisho shouted again.

InuYasha stared wide eyed at where she had been. "She's gone…Kagome…"

Akira fell to her knees beside InuYasha. "She must have been pulled into the jewel..."

"Like Kagome was." InuYasha finished.

Akira nodded. "It's up to her now."

"No!" InuTaisho growled. "Kagome was in the jewel for three days. I'm not going to sit around and wait. I'm going after her."

InuYasha reached out his hand and grabbed his son's sleeve. "How do you intent to do that? A Meidou?"

Akira spoke before InuTaisho had the chance. "A Meidou shalln't work."

"Why not?" The inu-hanyous demanded at the same time.

"The Shikon no Tama was basically crystallized souls. This jewel be crystallized power. Before, going into the shard was like entering Hell. This jewel be like entering a yokai." She explained.

"And how in the seven hells do I do that?" InuTaisho snarled.

She pointed at his sword. "Ye possess the Fushigi Ken."

He glanced at it. "What about it? It's not really done much. I'm wondering why Sakura's Gramma gave it to me. It's just a worthless sword."

Akira reached out her wrinkled hand on unsheathed the sword part way. She looked pointedly at it and InuTaisho figured she wanted him to take it. His hand replaced hers and he pulled the sword out.

"This sword was discovered fifty years ago. It was inside Hojo's castle. Therefore, it too was affected when Momoko used her immense powers. Ye can use its power to follow after her."

InuTaisho glanced at it skeptically. "You expect me to believe that Momoko accidentally gave this sword power? Why didn't I know about it? I was there. I saved her from Hojo."

Akira shook her head. "When Hojo learned that that sword had the power to overtake the jewel and, therefore, him, he ordered it to be thrown into the Sakaki Well."

"Whatever you say. How do I use it?"

"Simply focus ye energies to the sword. Then, send ye power and the sword's power at where Sakura vanished." Akira told him.

InuTaisho turned and stared at the place next to the crater that Sakura had been. "Hag, it this doesn't work, I'll use this sword on you."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sakura is not the only one who knows how to subdue ye. I have my ways."

InuYasha chuckled and gripped his son's shoulder. "Try to bring them both back, but…if you have to choose…I want you to be happy, my son."

InuTaisho looked into his father's eyes, so similar to his own. He nodded curtly. "As you wish, Father."

InuYasha quietly moved away from him and joined the others. InuTaisho turned back to his sword. He felt it pulse in his hands and he knew it would work with him. He felt his yokai stir inside him and he allowed it. The lines on his face grew darker and his eyes turned red with aqua pupils.

_'Sakura…I'm coming for you.'_

**X**

Sakura heard a childish giggle. She twirled, hoping to see something, anything. Her darkness continued. "Hello!" She called.

_"You're it, Sakura." _A voice whispered from the darkness.

The voice was familiar. She knew it from her past. She stumbled towards it. "A-Akako!"

The darkness vanished in a flash of light and Sakura and her long dead twin stood in the center of swirling amethyst light. Dark orbs –souls of the yokais destroyed to create the jewel, Sakura realized- flew around them.

Sakura's breathing stopped. She could not comprehend how her twin was before her. "Akako…"

Akako looked just how she had the day she had died. She was only about three feet tall. Her wavy brown hair brushed against her shoulders. She wore a simple white dress that fell to her knees. Her hazel eyes held a mixture of the mirth of a child and the intelligence of an adult.

Tears burned in Sakura's eyes. "Sister." She stumbled forward; her arms outstretched longing to hold her once more.

Akako stepped backwards causing Sakura to miss her. _"Sakura, why did you kill me?"_

Sakura fell to her knees. She was now eye to eye with the child. "Kill you?" She remembered her dream from before. "Akako, I didn't kill you. You were sick."

Akako shook her head. "Because you made me that way."

"What?" Sakura felt confusion soar through her.

Akako's eyes softened. "You killed me in Mommy's tummy. The jewel inside you took my soul away."

Akako began to cry softly. Sakura leaned forward and numbly wrapped her arms around her sister. "It was…my fault? Everything?"

**X**

Silver light surrounded the Fushigi Ken and InuTaisho. He lifted his sword up and then slashed it across his path. The Inu-tachi shielded their eyes from the bright light that flashed. When they opened their eyes again, a silver orb, large enough for a grown person to walk through, hovered before InuTaisho.

"Well, it's now or never." InuTaisho murmured as he stepped towards it.

"Bring them back!" Shippou called as InuTaisho and the orb disappeared.

"What do we do now?" Jun asked.

There was silence for a moment. "We pray." Akira replied softly.

**X**

InuTaisho found himself in a white void. Dark orb shaped masses ghosted around him lazily. His grip tightened on his sword as he moved forward.

"Sakura!" He called.

His only answer was the echoing of his voice. He sniffed. Nothing. He could not sense or track her. And since he had not mated with her, he could not _feel _her.

He walked further into what he assumed was the Shikon no Tetsu. He glanced around at the orbs. Why weren't they attacking him? What were they?

He reached out a clawed finger and poked one.

And all Hell broke loose.

**X**

Akako's sobbing turned into sniffles as her sister numbly held her. Sakura pulled back to look into her twin's face. She felt so cold. "Akako, I don't understand. How was it my fault? Why are you inside the jewel?"

Akako's hazel eyes flickered around the area, taking it all in with a blank expression. "Since you had the jewel while we were in Mommy's belly, I didn't form all the way. You and the jewel took my soul. That's why I was sick. Part of my soul lives in the jewel." Tears entered her eyes.

"I don't like it here, sister! The yokais are mean!"

Sakura threw her arms around her sister and embraced her tightly. "I promise you, Akako, I'll get you out of here."

Akako smirked and pretended to hug her twin back. "Thank you, _sister_."

**X**

The whiteness surrounding InuTaisho turned to darkness as the orbs flew at him. He shouted as they repeatedly rammed into him. The energy coming off them burning him; though his robes were able to offer some protection. He began wildly swinging his sword, hoping to fight them off.

He growled when his sword was knocked from his hands. One rammed into his stomach hard, knocking him breathless and forcing him to the ground. He lay dazed for a moment.

The orbs attacked him again, causing his small world of stark white to turn all black.

**X**

Sakura pulled back, a determined smile on her face. "Come on, Akako! Let's find our way out!"

Akako nodded. "Let's," she smiled.

Sakura stood and took her twin's hand. She began to lead the smaller girl in the opposite direction. "I'm not really sure where to go, but I'm sure we'll find _something_ if we just start walking."

Akako nodded. "Yes. We shall find _something._" She hissed. Sakura barely had the time to turn her head back before Akako yanked hard on her hand, forcing Sakura to fly back and land on her back.

Akako jumped on and straddle her stomach, her tiny hands going to her throat. "I'll kill you and escape this Hell in your body!"

Sakura gasped out. One thought ran through her mind: Her baby.

"H-help…" she chocked out as Akako's hold tightened.

**X**

InuTaisho felt his yokai pulse. His eyes flew open. _'Sakura!' _

He knew with every fiber in his being that she was in danger. He snarled and focused his yokai into one attack. Golden energy shot out from the hanyou, the dark yokai souls dissolving and disappearing.

InuTaisho leapt up, taking hold of his sword. His narrowed red eyes cut around, searching for his mate. And his pup.

He used his yokai to sense the area. He could faintly feel Sakura. And she was fading and fast. He growled and began running towards her aura.

**X**

Sakura stared up into the once gentle eyes of her twin. Akako's face was distorted. Her hazel eyes were soulless and her teeth were sharper like fangs.

"You won't leave here, Sakura!" She snarled, her hands tightening.

Sakura didn't know what to do. How could she fit back her sister? Her twin? But, if she didn't do _something_ both she and child would be in serious trouble. The edges of her vision were going black and fuzzy. She gasped, searching for air.

"Ah…Akako…" Her head became light.

Akako's features shifted, becoming older looking. Her hair darkened and grew longer. Black inu-ears appearing atop her head. Her eyes turning golden.

Sakura's eyes grew heavy and slowly began to close. "Iza…yoi."

The girl growled. "I'm Aya, wench." She snarled. "I'm going to send your soul to hell. You hurt my brother!"

Sakura's eyes slid the rest of the way close. She was giving up. _'I'm sorry, baby, InuTaisho…' _She slipped into darkness; only barely hearing the roar of rage that sounded through her and Aya's world, shattering the quiet and hurting Sakura's head.

**V**

"Aya!" InuTaisho yelled.

His sister's dark side glanced up at him, her hands sliding away from Sakura's throat. "InuTaisho." She stated.

InuTaisho gripped his sword tighter, his knuckles turning white. "I thought we killed you."

Aya laughed once and stood. "Baby Brother, you can't kill me. I locked away a part of my soul in the jewel. I wasn't finished with this wench yet."

"Aya. Why?"

Aya moved around Sakura's still body. "She hurt you, brother. I'm going to hurt her back."

InuTaisho growled in annoyance. "We fixed it, Aya! That's in the past! Now _you're _hurting me! You're hurting everyone in our family!"

Aya snarled. "You've been manipulated by a weak, mortal girl! She batted her pretty lashes and you forgot who you were! Just like with Momoko!"

The younger hanyou tossed his sword aside. It soundlessly fell to the ground. "I don't need a weapon to do what I must." He muttered.

Aya cracked her fingers and her claws elongated. "And what is that, baby brother?"

"Destroy your soul." He replied dangerously.

Aya's eyes became slits. "To the death, brother."

**V**

_**Sakura's POV**_

_Akako. Aya. Which one? _

_My baby. Is she okay?_

_Am I dead?_

_I wish the jewel had never existed._

_I wish the jewel had never existed._

_**I wish the jewel had never existed!**_

**V**

_**Reg POV**_

InuTaisho and Aya's advances where halted when suddenly everything went dark. InuTaisho yelled out when he felt himself dematerialize. Aya's piercing screams sounded against his eardrums shortly before fading away.

When InuTaisho opened his eyes, he was looking up at the clear blue sky. Puffy white clouds floated lazily in the sky. He jerked up so that he was sitting, startling his onlookers. His eyes danced around wildly, searching the faces.

His heart dropped.

"Sakura?" He whispered.

All but InuYasha looked away. "I'm sorry, son. She did not come back."

InuTaisho threw back his head and howled.

**X**

Sakura found herself in the darkness once more. She felt warm…and confused. She glanced around with her chocolate orbs. Her hand absent mindedly went to her stomach. She smiled lightly, feeling that it had swollen a little more. Surely that meant her baby was okay.

She glanced back up when light winked into existence before her. A young woman in her early twenties smiled at her kindly. Raven hair that blending into the darkness and flowed to her waist swirled around her head. Chocolate eyes stared at her with kindness radiating from them. Traditional miko robes were draped around her body.

"_Sakura."_

Sakura blinked. "H-how do you know my name?"

The woman laughed lightly. It sounded like bells chiming. _"You are my son's mate, of course I know your name. We were destined to meet and part this way."_

Son's mate?

InuTaisho.

"Kagome…" Sakura breathed.

Kagome nodded. _"By wishing that the Shikon no Tetsu had never existed, you have changed time. When you return to your world, you will find several changes."_

"Return to my world? I want to stay here. With InuTaisho."

Her eyes saddened. _"Your time is over here. You must return to your time. You are still needed there."_

Sakura shook her head, remembering InuTaisho's words. "No! They don't need me! InuTaisho needs me! I need InuTaisho! Our child needs both of us!"

Kagome looked away. _"I'm truly sorry, Sakura."_

Sakura felt her body growing cold. She glanced down at her hands. They were fading away. "NO!" She screamed as the darkness traveled up to her wrists, her arms.

She frantically looked back up to Kagome, her eyes begging. "Please."

Tears formed in her eyes. _"I know how you feel…"_

And somehow, Sakura knew she was telling the truth. Kagome had been without her family for centuries. The darkness spread over her chest and crept up her legs to her thighs.

"What about you?"

Kagome closed her eyes, causing her tears to run down her face. _"Your wish purified the jewel, allowing your first wish to become true. I will be returned to the Feudal Area._

"_I'm so sorry, Sakura."_

A sob escaped Sakura before she finally disappeared.

**X**

InuYasha gazed up at the stars above him. He was in his forest, his back against the Bone Eater's Well. He fought back his tears.

Not only had his son lost his mate, his daughter's soul was lost forever, and he had failed Sango and Miroku, he had also lost the only chance of ever being with his Kagome ever again…until he died.

The breeze changed, causing the tall grass to sway and the leaves in the trees to shake loose. His hair blew out in front of him.

A scent entered his nose.

He jerked to his feet. He knew that scent. InuYasha slowly turned, his eyes going wide.

Perched on the lip of the well opposite him was…

"Kagome…" He breathed.

Kagome smiled. "InuYasha…"

InuYasha rushed to the other side of the well, taking her into his arms. Kagome buried her head into his chest as he held her tightly.

"Is this real?" He asked softly, daring to hope.

Kagome smiled and nodded. "Yes." She tipped her head back and stared up at him. Tears welled in her eyes.

InuYasha allowed his own tears of happiness to escape his golden eyes as he tilted his face closer to hers. He kissed Kagome more passionately than he had ever before. Their lips easily fell into the routine of dancing with the others.

Neither InuYasha nor Kagome had ever felt such bliss.

**X**

Sunlight caused the backs of Sakura's eyelids to turn red. She groaned and rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers over her head.

In her bed. Covers.

She gasped and sat up, her covers falling to the floor. She nearly screamed when she saw that she was in her room.

No…no…no…

Despair crept into her heart. InuTaisho….

No…no…no…

She glanced down at her stomach and sighed in faint relief. There was still a bump. Her hand grazed over it.

A piece of InuTaisho was growing inside her…

Her throat tightened. "Inu…Taisho…" Tears stung in her eyes.

She looked up at the door when she heard a knock.

"Sakura? Are you up yet? Time for school." An unfamiliar voice called out to her from beyond the door.

Sakura stood from her bed. She vaguely noticed she was wearing pajamas. Forgetting her house shoes, she slowly went to the door. She slowly opened it.

Standing on the other side was her mother. Standing in his doorway, rubbing his eyes was Kaito. And across from Kaito stood another person. Standing in the doorway of what used to be the spare bedroom was Akako.

Tears fell from her eyes. "Mom…Akako…."

Kagome's words suddenly made sense. By wishing that the jewel had never existed, she had brought back her mother and twin. The jewel had stolen parts of Akako's soul in the womb, causing Akako to die. The depression forced their mother to have another child and die in childbirth.

Sakura lunged at her mother, holding her tightly. She would worry about everything else later. For the moment, she would enjoy having her mother and twin back.

* * *

Just one more chapter to go and then this series ends. Thanks to everyone who's been along for the ride.

~MutantEnemy6789


	21. Epilogue

Here is the final chapter of my SSoD series. I would like to thank Msmes, chronos-girl, kagomethebeautifulmiko, and everyone else that reviewed. Thank you so much. I own nothing.

* * *

**InuTaisho**

**Epilogue**

A young woman with waist length brown hair drew in a deep breath. With shaking hands, she pushed aside the aged screens that separated her from the Sakaki Well. They creaked open and light flooded the dusty well house. She slowly entered and climbed down the stairs. Once her feet touched ground, she ran to the well and peered down. Her heart sank when she saw only the dirt and not the clear, beautiful skies of the past she had left behind. Tears stung behind her eyes.

Her fingers griped the edge of the well until they turned white. She had been so foolish in originally wanting. She had thought it would have been best for her child, but she had been wrong. Her child needed a father. And she…well, she needed her mate. However, the wish she had made had negated her one true desire.

Sakura let out a sob and dropped to her knees. Her longs bangs fell like a curtain in front of her face. Her shoulders shook as she cried.

It had been five long years. To the day.

At first, she had come every day to the well; however, after a while it went to once a week. Then, once a month. And then, once Saki had been born, she had come back, hoping that the well would open for them. It had not. After that, she had stopped coming. Now, she only came on Saki's birthday and the anniversary of her return. Every year, the well remained the same.

Sakura sighed and looked up at the old, wood ceiling. Saki had literally been her "blossom of hope." She had hoped that her child would allow her to cross back over to the Feudal Area, as Saki belonged in that time. She was wrong.

To keep herself from being crushed by her depression, she thought back to Saki's birth. She had given birth at home, because she had feared how Saki would look. Her parents had easily agreed and had taken her out of school. She had been home schooled her last year of middle school and all her years of high school. Her tutors had been sworn to secrecy about Sakura's pregnancy. They had never seen Saki.

Gramma had called upon a miko friend's daughter to perform the birthing. As she was a miko who knew the truth of yokais, she easily kept Saki a secret.

When Sakura had been asked what the child would be named, she readily told them: Higurashi Saki. Brows had been raised at the Higurashi name, but Sakura did not care. After all, Higurashi was the name InuYasha had given InuTaisho.

Sakura smiled as she thought of her daughter. She looked like InuTaisho. She had his long white hair and inu-ears. Her eyes where golden with aqua flecks in them. Sakura wasn't quite sure where the aqua came from, but she didn't care as she figured it had to do with InuTaisho's yokai blood. She lacked his yokai markings and her fangs and claws were not long or sharp, though she sometimes wondered if that would change as she grew. On her human nights, the nights of the full moon, her hair darkened to chestnut brown and her eyes darkened to chocolate with violet flecks.

Sakura looked over her shoulder when she heard footsteps behind her. On the top of the stairs stood Saki. Sakura smiled.

"Mama, are you okay?" Her golden eyes were wide with worry.

Sakura stood and dusted herself off. "Yes, Saki. I'm fine." She made her way up towards her daughter.

"Are we going to Great Gramma's?" She asked eagerly.

Sakura smiled and kneeled in front of her. "Yes, we will tonight."

Saki smiled. Sakura picked her up and carried her back to the house, not glancing at the well behind her as she closed the screens one-handedly.

**X**

As darkness swept over the land, Sakura lead Saki out of their home. The nights of the full moon were the only times Saki could go out and they usually did whatever Saki wanted on those nights. This time, Saki wanted to see her great-grandmother, Higurashi-sama.

Sakura had gone back to Higurashi-sama soon after she had returned. She told Higurashi-sama all that had happened in the past. That Kagome was alive again. Higurashi-sama had been delighted to learn that her daughter was alive and well again. Sakura then told her that she was carrying InuTaisho's child, Kagome's grandchild. Needless to say, it was probably the happiest day Higurashi-sama had had in several years.

Now, Sakura continued to keep Higurashi-sama in her and Saki's life. She did it not only because she loved Higurashi-sama, but because Saki needed the connection to her other grandparents. And Sakura did too.

Drawing in a deep breath, Sakura knocked once on the door before entering. Higurashi-sama smiled at her from the front room.

"Sakura. Saki."

Saki ran to her great-grandmother, her arms open. "Gramma!" She squealed.

Higurashi laughed and drew the girl to her, hugging her tightly. She lightly ruffled her great-granddaughter's hair with her wrinkled hands. "Hello, little Saki. How have you been?"

Saki smiled. "I could smell Mommy from a block away the other day!" She exclaimed.

Higurashi looked over the girl's chestnut head, her eyes sad as she gazed at Sakura. Sakura nodded as she numbly sat in a chair across from Higurashi, fighting back her tears. Since Saki was technically only one-fourth yokai, she had not progressed as quickly as how she had assumed InuTaisho or InuYasha had. Her senses where enhanced, but they were not anything like InuTaisho or InuYasha's.

"That's good, sweetie."

Saki nodded. "Daddy came to me in my dream last night."

Sakura froze. "W-what did you say?"

Higurashi leaned back in her seat. "Now, Saki, what do you mean? You've never met your father."

Saki shook her head, her dark locks spinning around her. "It was Daddy!" She broke away from her grandmother. "He had my white hair and eyes like mine. And red clothes. He told me to go to the well."

Sakura launched herself from the chair. Her hands fisted at her sides. "Saki. Enough."

Saki turned to face her mother, her bi-colored eyes wide. "But, Mommy, it's true."

Sakura shook her head. She wanted Saki to know of her father, she truly did, but…she did not want Saki to be plagued by dreams about InuTaisho. Kami knew that she had enough for the both of them. Especially the first few nights she had slept in her bed…

Wanting to break the uncomfortable silence, Higurashi moved forward in her chair. "Saki, how is aunt Akako?"

Mention of her aunt distracted the child and she turned back to her grandmother. "Auntie Akako got a job as a nurse at the children's hospital!"

Higurashi glanced at Sakura. "Tell me about it, Saki."

As Saki launched into a child's version of how her 'favorite Auntie Akako got the best job in the world helping little sick kids' to Higurashi, Sakura slowly made her way out the back door.

She just had to know…

As she made her well to the Bone Eater's Well, she thought back to how her life had changed after her final return. Akako and her mother had been brought back to life. Everyone had altered memories of their lives. Of course, it was confusing for the whole family as they had both the real memories and the fake memories. Sakura enjoyed having her sister back in her life, but it seemed as if there wasn't enough room for them both. Akako could easily take her place at anytime.

The rest of the world had forgotten about Sakura after Akako came back. After a few months, her friends stopped calling. Boys no longer tried to ask her out. Her friend's became Akako's and her crushes became Akako's. Sakura was a full time mother, house keeper, and shrine keeper.

She tried to not think about the future. She knew she and Saki were burdens to her family. She lived from day to day, never making plans, never looking back. She got through each day that way.

As she ascended the steps, so very much like the familiar ones at her own family shrine, she felt her skin tingle. She pushed aside the doors slowly and the creaked loudly. The tingling became an itch that danced across her skin. She rubbed her arm.

She moved down the steps and towards the well. She grasped the edges of it. Why did her daughter have a dream about InuTaisho? What did it mean?

The itch became a burning as at the very bottom of the well, a spark of blue light flared to life.

She gasped as she stared down at it, the blue light dancing across her pale face.

"Saki!" She screamed.

**X**

InuTaisho had been visiting Jun earlier that day. He only came because he had been requested…and his parents forced him. Jun was announcing his betrothal to a local village girl. InuYasha seemed happy about it.

Now, InuTaisho found himself at a well that his parents had been reunited multiple times at. Most recently five years ago this very day. He peered down at the forgotten remains of the yokai at the bottom.

_'Sakura…'_

He wished he could see her one last time. Once more and he could get through his long, drawn out life.

He wanted to also see his pup…Sakura's pup. He wondered if it looked like her. He was glad that she at least had the pup. It was a small piece of him that she would forever have.

And he had his enchanted beads.

He gripped the edge of the well when he felt his yokai rise up in him. He thought he saw a blue light glowing from within the well's depths.

**X**

Sakura picked her child up, holding her close. Higurashi wiped her eyes. This would be the second girl she had sent back to the past.

"Sakura…tell Kagome hello and that I love her."

Sakura nodded. "Of course." She sat on the edge of the well. "Tell my family…" What?

Higurashi smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They will understand."

Sakura swallowed. "Goodbye, Higurashi-sama."

"Goodbye, Sakura, my daughter. Goodbye, Saki, my love."

Saki peered over her mother's arm. "Bye-bye, Gramma."

Sakura held her closer. Without looking back, Sakura swung her legs over the side of the well and dropped into the darkness below. Blue and white light swirled around her, dancing with the mother and daughter's hair.

**X**

A familiar scent entered InuTaisho's nose. His eyes widened as he shot his hand down the well; praying, hoping…

She gasped when he felt a small, warm hand encase his own. He pulled and Sakura flew out of the well and into his arms. She held a small child…

"I-InuTaisho!" Sakura cried out.

He held his mate and pup tightly. "Sakura…" He glanced down at the girl, so much like her mother, that stared up at him with wide eyes.

"D-Daddy?" She whispered.

He nodded. He looked back up to Sakura. "What is she called?" He asked.

Tears lined her eyelids. "Higurashi Saki."

InuTaisho ruffled the girl's long hair. "Saki…" He murmured.

His hold tightened on his family, tears spilling from his eyes. Sakura's own dam gave way and her tears fell as well. The tears of joy from the parents fell and mingled together, falling atop the dark head of their love child, who smiled blissfully as she held her long lost father.

Having sensed the presence of two more beings and smelling the tears, InuYasha burst through the trees and into the clearing, Kagome on his back. She slowly dropped to her feet at seeing her son reunited with his mate at the same place she had been reunited with hers so many times.

She leaned onto InuYasha's side, his arm going around her waist.

"They're home." She whispered.

* * *

**End. **It was finally happy, as promised!

~MutantEnemy6789


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